


Mine, All of Them

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breastfeeding, Multi, Pregnancy, kriffing sith plans, possessive anakin is very possessive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 06:12:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11155908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: Anakin's possessiveness saves the galaxy (or, being demonstrably thecauseof loss is a bad idea, Palpatine.)





	1. Chapter 1

On Coruscant, Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin were struck in the Chancellor's Office, but survived for long moments. Then Kit Fisto died, first of the Jedi to be slain by Sidious' hand. Fell so swiftly that he had no chance to dim the bonds that tied him to others in the Order. 

On Felucia, Aayla Secura stumbled and hit a knee, a stifled cry escaping her as emptiness and loss sank knives into her heart. Commander Bly was instantly at her side, his armor sheltering his General as he reached for her, searching her face. 

Above Cato Neimoidia, Plo Koon made a stifled, agonized noise that was only half hidden by his breathing mask as Kit's loss tore into the web of connections he held to keep himself stable. Commander Wolffe and Jaig were both instantly on his comm, concerned. He tried to hold his course, knowing full well the work here was critical. 

Then Saesee Tiin, the other anchor to the Council's telepathic web died as well, and Plo lost control of his fighter entirely. Wolffe was in his comms, demanding he land, and Plo regained control as he assented, his mind numbed with the losses. Wolffe landed, moments behind him, and was at his side almost as fast as a Jedi could have moved. 

On Kashyyyk, Master Yoda clutched his chest, his yellow eyes widening with shock and the pain, and struggled to understand. 

+++ 

Darth Vader strode into the barracks where his 501st waited -- his orders from his Master burning in the forefront of his mind. He had seen Windu attempt to murder an unarmed, weakened man in an attempt to take power; he knew that the Jedi could not be trusted not to harm the Senators (his Padmé, his Angel). He had to do this, he **had** to do as he was commanded, if he was to protect her. He ignored and pushed aside, again, the part of his mind that was screaming defiance, screaming no, throwing up what the Sith had done to the worlds they took -- that was weakness, that was fear, and he had to be strong. He **had** to be strong, he had to do this, for her. 

His men snapped to attention throughout the barracks at the first snap that he was there, and he projected his voice to assemble them rather than send them back to what they were doing. In less than thirty seconds, they were in perfect ranks, Appo forward to hear his commands. Their faith and devotion and loyalty, their eagerness to serve, wrapped around him, and he breathed a little easier. They were with him. Only half his men, and Appo, not Rex, Rex was with -- for a moment, panic hit him, and then he remembered. Ahsoka wasn't a Jedi; whatever the Chancellor was planning _she_ would be safe, she would be _fine_ , he could bring the others and **her** home once this was done, yes. 

"Sir?" Appo questioned, and he swallowed against the panic to focus on his current Captain. 

"There was an assault on the Chancellor tonight," he replied, and felt the flare of anger from his men. They at least were loyal, always, and he hated what his next words would bring, "by members of the Jedi High Council." 

Horror rocked through them, and dismay, and he was grateful for that no-one spoke, no-one interrupted, as he pushed on. "I thwarted their attempt, and in light of this attack, the Chancellor has declared that all other Jedi are traitors, and that we are to take the -- " 

They vanished from him. 

Where a breath before were Appo and Attie and Lockout and Coric and Jesse, Deadshot and Quad and Vines and Lock, there were suddenly complete strangers. Their presences in the Force, always so individual, unique, as known and trusted as any could be, his home for the last three long years, _vanished_ , and blankness took their place. They were hollow, where a breath before they'd been vibrant, and the part of him that had been screaming all along howled rage and fury and denial, lashed out at him... 

...and Vader agreed, his power joining with that stupid, weak piece of him to sink into -- not Appo, not the one closest, but Jesse, his oldest, looking for explanation, searching for his squad-leader under the blankness. What was this, what was wrong with his men, what had **happened**?! 

He found a static of commands, orders that felt alien, not natural, one of them 'execute Order 66', another 'good soldiers follow orders'... but under that was his Jesse, helpless, trying to deny it, struggling to move a hand -- 

\-- 'good soldiers follow orders' slammed against something in him, rattled loose a teardrop-marked face wracked with panic and horror, Tiplar dead; shook something else open in him and gave him Fives struggling to get a few last words out in Rex's arms, and he felt as though he was being ripped open. 

Ten seconds ago, he hadn't known that, hadn't remembered it, and he wanted to collapse from it and from the emptiness in front of him, blank slates where his men's vibrant love should be. They were **his**! 

He left Jesse -- not Jesse -- to reach for Coric, felt the same alien static of commands, sought deeper and found Coric trying to call out to him under all of the commands, and he barely choked down his need to scream, to rage, to attack _something_. He couldn't attack his men, his men **needed** him to fix this, to solve it! 

"Our orders, Sir?" Appo -- not Appo, there was no difference in his voice from the newest shiny, no familiarity, flat, uninflected, and rage pulsed brighter in him as he heard the 'execute Order 66' and this time knew what it was. Order to execute the Jedi on the Chancellor's command. 

But under that, deep under it, Appo was starting to fight, like Jesse, like Coric. Like himself. 

_Obey my orders, or Padmé will die,_ whispered in his mind, again, and instead of being made helpless and obedient, this time rage and defiance won in him, and Anakin Skywalker did what he did best; he improvised. 

"We are to return to the _Resolute_ and prepare to search out the other members of the Council," he replied, barking, "load up!" immediately afterward, before he could lose his will. 

They moved almost robotically, not just with their usual precision. There were none of the tiny touches of individuality in their stride, nothing but shiny-stiff, but under it, he could feel, ever so faintly, his men struggling. 

Struggling, trapped, bound. And it was the Chancellor's command that had done it to them. 

The Chancellor had done this to them, somehow. 

What would he do to Padmé? 

No, that was madness, he would never hurt her, they were friends, allies -- he'd been so angry, when she was part of the Delegation that went to speak to him. Wouldn't he? 

Padmé had been part of that Delegation, had spoken like a Separatist, he was to kill the Separatist leaders next... 

He had to protect Padmé. He had to save his men. 

She'd be safe on the _Resolute_ , with his medics... and he trusted Admiral Yularen's judgement. He would get the men and Padmé safe, figure out what had **happened** to them, to him, and then -- 

Then what? 

He made himself move, stride after them towards the _Resolute_ , and brought his comm to his mouth. Artoo was still with Padmé. "Artoo, get the Senator and Threepio to the _Resolute_ , now." 

A confused chirp answered him, and he snapped, " _Now_ , Artoo!" 

And none of his men so much as turned to look at him, no curiosity rippled to him to be only half-ignored, and fury filled him again. 

He **would not** lose them like this. In a fight was one thing, but this -- this obscenity of them trapped in their own minds? **No**. 

+++ 

Wullf Yularen had not been expecting his General or clone battalion back aboard for at least another day. Rousted in the dark of Coruscant's night, he barely managed to reach his own bridge before Skywalker... and looking at the young man's face sent a dark terror pulsing through him that he had difficulty controlling. "General? What -- " 

"Wardroom," Skywalker replied with a single sharp shake of his head, something mad burning in his eyes. Yularen nodded and moved to it, sealing the door as soon as they were both inside, and words he had **never** expected to hear fell from Skywalker's lips. "I don't know what to do, Admiral, I -- I need your advice, sir." 

"That _is_ why we were paired, Skywalker," Yularen replied, "what is it?" 

"The Chancellor is a Sith, the Council tried to assassinate him, he says the Jedi mean to kill the Senators and destroy the Republic, he knows where the Separatist leaders are, Grievous and Dooku are dead it should be easy to end the war, but he gave me orders to kill all the Jedi that **did something** to my men, I -- I don't -- " 

The Admiral had been in the Fleet for a very long time and seen personnel rattled by a number of causes in the past.

This was not merely 'rattled' This was something shading between manic and feral, but it was not mere rattling that had Anakin Skywalker so far from sanity's edge.

"Emergency powers or not, the Republic is meant to have a strong sense of regulation to it concerning treason and executions," Yularen said, to get words out into the open quickly enough to keep the raving reek in Anakin's eyes at bay. "One man cannot call for the slaughter of hundreds of sentient beings.

"But it is this other thing, this interference with the men that concerns me strongly. You say he is Sith, and I cannot attest to that in any way, but if the Sith in general have installed some version of a command override in the troops, we must act quickly to find and neutralize it."

He could see a trace of sanity touch Skywalker's eyes, focus sharpen the blue just a little, and his young general nodded. "That -- yes. You're right. It's... Admiral," he said, his head tilting, eyes sharpening a little more, "it's what happened with Tup, when he killed Master Tiplar. But the Kaminoans said they didn't find anything... they lied? We have to find it. They're not themselves, it _took them_." 

Yularen nodded, hand under one elbow, the other reaching up to rest on his chin sagely. "Permission to use the ventilation system in one of the squadron rooms? They will be out of their helmets in there, and once unconscious, I will have my medical staff look into it. I seem to recall Trooper Tup was said to have had a tumor in a specific location of the brain. That will guide our search."

"It's your ship, Admiral," his young general answered after a long moment where he obviously fought with himself, "do it. We have to know. ...he's going to expect me to hit the Temple soon, I don't know what he'll do then, I -- " 

Yularen's face blanched. Accusing any power of treason was something for the courts. But to authorize an attack on their stronghold with no evidence produced, when there were minors in that location?

"Your men were not outfitted with security blasters, nor would they have had sedative munitions on the ground," Yularen said very tightly. "I am given to understand that your younglings learn combat very young. Did he intend for them to be killed in the taking of the Temple?" he asked in icy tones, even as he was logging into his security feed on the data pad, to detail a unit and the correct agents to use for his internal safety officers.

He saw Skywalker turn ghostly under his tan, his eyes seeming to flicker between blue and... gold?... and back to blue that shaded towards black, his gloved hand up against his ash-pale mouth as his shoulders heaved with his attempts to breathe. "It -- he -- " Skywalker looked choked, and he said, toneless at first, "He said, 'Do what must be done. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy.'... but... _younglings_ , he couldn't... he's my friend, he..." 

"You just told me he is a Sith. Having witnessed the effects of both Ventress and Dooku, I would hesitate to accept friendship so fully, until the matter is investigated and handled through legal courses." Yularen gave the final authorization to gas and kidnap the men to medical, before typing in authorization to the medical staff of his crew to be there and why.

Skywalker sucked a breath, looking as though he'd been gutted, and searched his face. "I -- he's always been -- but he killed Master Kit, and his orders took my men, why do I still want to defend him? Admiral, I don't... I can't think straight, I've forgotten things, I --" 

He broke off suddenly, his head turning away, eyes going distant in that uncanny Jedi manner, "Padmé's here." 

Yularen did not wonder aloud why the Senator of Naboo was present. He actually hoped she would be able to aid in managing the madness around the edges of Anakin Skywalker's mind. "I believe, General, you are in need of a mind healer. Unfortunately, I do not have an Iktotchi among my medical staff. Do give my regards to the Senator, though. I will go to medical and personally see to the men and the investigation."

"Thank you, Admiral -- _take care of them_ ," Skywalker replied, ferocity blazing off him, before he headed towards the wardroom door with long strides. 

Yularen did one last thing before he headed to Medical -- he used his full overrides to shut down any communications coming from the surface.

+++ 

Admiral Yularen stood in the main medical bay, contemplating the situation more than the events before his eyes. The first squads of the men had been brought in, and the medical staff were hard at work examining them. He had taken an oath to the Republic, not the Chancellor, and after Skywalker's declaration he had reason to believe the Republic was in imminent mortal danger... but Skywalker was also obviously ill. 

They would have to wait until the medics finished their evaluations. **Then** he would contact the rest of the Fleet and warn them. He needed proof beyond the word of a mentally compromised young General, after all, if he was going to declare the Chancellor a Sith and a traitor. 

+++

Darth Sidious prowled through his office, staring angrily out towards the still-quiet Jedi Temple. Darth Vader should have reached the wretched building by now. With the clones' true purpose activated by his declaration, the place should have been _burning_ , he should have been able to feel the deaths in waves at this point, able to luxuriate in their betrayed agony as his new Apprentice displayed what he had become. 

He smiled at the thought of Darth Vader, at the thought of all his years of careful work, the careful manipulations, the influencing -- never anything overt, nothing blatant... even now, when he had had to exert himself so strongly, it had not been a full assertion of his will over Skywalker's in any way he was capable of recognizing from Dooku and that witch's brute-force control. No, he had been much more subtle than that with his new Apprentice, manipulating him over the course of decades. He had had to make him forget some things, of course, had to cloud some of that razor intelligence -- Skywalker was far too brilliant, too canny, to leave exactly as he had been -- in order to acquire what he wanted, but he would never know that. Vader believed he had chosen, Vader would always believe that he had chosen, and the longer he believed that, the more Sidious would be able to remove pieces of the web. 

The seductive, rampant power of the Dark Side would do the rest, drawing him down into its depths so completely that he would never escape it. 

**Why** was the Temple not burning yet? 

He gritted his teeth, frustrated, and reached for Darth Vader's mind -- he had never tried this before, never directly communicated mentally with an Apprentice. ~Lord Vader,~ he sent, a loud demand, ~your progress?!~ 

To his shock, and faint horror, the first response he received was a burst of absolute rage and aggression, wordless but powerful enough to nearly break the connection. He clutched at his temples with one spread hand, and snarled back, ~ _What_ do you think you are doing? Control yourself, Apprentice, and explain your delay!~ 

~You took what is **mine** ,~ his apprentice replied, ~I'm taking it **back.~**

What? 

What was the damned brat talking about? 

Sidious was confused, which was something he did not appreciate, especially not now in this moment of their triumph, not with the bodies of inhuman Jedi scattered in his chambers. He felt himself frown in incomprehension, knew it brushed across the connection (Force Bond so carefully woven into Skywalker's psyche over a decade of visits and discussions) between them, ~We do not have **time** for your nonsensical possessiveness, Lord Vader! You must deal with the Temple immediately so that our plans may proceed!~ 

The culmination of a decade of work, of a hundred plots and manipulations, the final instrument of the Sith revenge against the Jedi, the Apprentice he had gone to such lengths to acquire... blazed with rage and hate and snarled, ~I _am_ dealing with things!~ and -- forced him out of his mind! 

Sidious snarled, deep in his throat, and flung his will out again, intent on bringing his suddenly obstinate Apprentice to heel... and was met with the rage again, strong enough to block him out! 

...well. At least he was deeply enough in the grip of the Dark Side that no Jedi would succor him or even believe him in anything he spoke of... that would have to be enough, for the moment. The Dark would bring his Apprentice back to him, and he would learn the price for his disobedience then. 

He had intended to activate Order 66 simultaneously with the destruction of the Temple, but if his Apprentice insisted on being a petulant brat, he would destroy the adults out on campaigns first. It made no difference, surely. 

He stalked back towards his desk and the hidden comm link there, routing the signal first to the Commander of the 212th Legion. The breaking of Skywalker's bond to Kenobi should further destabilize his Apprentice and bring him to a more pliable frame of mind. "Commander Cody," he intoned once the clone appeared in the display, "execute Order 66." 

"Yes, my lord," the clone replied, finally properly blank, and Sidious disconnected it immediately. He loathed that he still had to re-set the thing for each legion, it should have been possible to trigger all of them simultaneously, but there was simply not enough comm penetration in the Outer Rim. Once he got to the more Coreward legions, mass activation would become exponentially easier. 

Next, Koon. Yes... that one next. 

+++ 

Obi-Wan fell from the cliff alongside his dragonmount's corpse, shock at the attack from behind blending with confusion. He reached for his Commander's mind: and did not find him. No, Cody couldn't be dead, he'd been just behind him, nothing had dropped on them, where... how? He opened his senses, reaching more intently, and -- instead of Cody, Anakin in an agony of rage and fear and betrayal burned into him from their connection. He'd had it muted, during his struggle with Grievous, but now it blazed again.

What in the **hells**?! Anakin had been stable when they parted! 

It was too far, thousands of parsecs too far, to be able to speak to him (never their strongest gift in any case) at least if he was the one trying to initiate it, but... his padawan was in pain, in danger. Had... had Anakin's 501st suffered whatever had affected Cody?

He had to reach him, somehow. He hit the water and dove deep, finding his rebreather after a moment to stay well below the surface. 

+++

Padmé was still in shock over all that had happened. What was she _even_ doing on the _Resolute_ instead of trying harder to manage the turmoil in the Senate over the increased Emergency Powers? Poor Threepio was in just as much a state as he struggled to adapt to the shift in their routine that had brought them here.

Anakin had been trying to explain to her, his eyes wild, what had happened -- all of it was mind-numbingly terrifying and enraging -- when his expression had gone blank and unfocused, and he'd nearly stopped breathing for a few moments. Terrible, wild rage had poured across his face, fury almost a taste in the air, and she'd taken a few steps back from him as his half-open eyes had seemed to change color, sliding from blue to an awful shade of almost gleaming yellow. That had been utterly terrifying, from legends she had studied... but when he finally was breathing evenly again, and seeing the world, they had returned to the blue she so loved. He was still obviously, blatantly angry, but... not lost in it. 

"Ani?" 

"I -- I'm here, Angel," he answered, his eyes raking over her. "I'm sorry. .It... he was in my head, demanding to know why I wasn't at the Temple yet. It took me a minute to force him back _out_. I told him he took them, and he didn't understand. He'll do something now, something terrible, I should've made the Admiral jump into hyperspace, what if he -- "

Anakin broke off, fright showing past the anger, and he cupped his hands around her face. So gently, so impossibly gently. "Stay here, on the ship. If anyone but me tries to get on, bring the shields up. I love you." 

Padmé Naberrie, called Amidala by the galaxy and even her own world for more than half her life, did not fully understand this, but she knew how to keep her confidence as a shield, and hope it was enough to reach her husband, settle him more.

"I love you, Ani. Whatever this is, all of it, we will overcome it, and move forward. Together. I'll stay, because I have to protect our child, but you must keep me updated. Please."

Anakin nodded, a rough quick motion, and dipped his head to brush a kiss over her lips, his expression haunted and torn. "I will. ...warn the friends you _trust_ in the Senate, Padmé. He's Sith, and means to kill the Jedi." 

That made Padmé's fear spike higher than she knew was safe for the baby, and she struggled to overcome it for a moment. "Then warn Bail. He'll know who else to reach. Tell him… tell him Breha's bad influence agreed with you on this, and he will know it came from me."

That was the only thing she could do, in face of Anakin's chaos storm raging through his emotions, rather than risk setting him off again. She wanted to be working, actively, against the man that had betrayed them all, yet how could she in her state?

He nodded acceptance, then paused long enough to get his comm code from her. Once he had that, he let his hands slip away from her and was at a dead run in three strides, disappearing out of her ship. 

+++

"Admiral," Anakin asked as he ran for the nearest turbolift that could get him to the bridge comm suite, "how's it going? We just ran out of time."

Wulff Yularen's face was grim. "An unidentified piece of hardware was installed, in the exact same spot on all scans, in each of the men. We are in process of detaching one from the brain of a young trooper so it can be fully analyzed. We have informed the rest of your men that there was a contaminant among that squad to explain their isolation."

'Unidentified hardware'. A chip, implanted in his men, in their _minds_. He should have known, he should have _realized_ , he should have **looked**. There was always a chip, always, in any slave there was something to control them, why wouldn't the Kaminoans, why hadn't he **checked** \-- 

He heard himself cursing, low savage Huttese he hadn't used in years rolling off his tongue, and cut it off. Horror later, fury later, right now the Sith he'd trusted for more than half of his life was going to use the men they loved to kill the Jedi and he and Yularen were the only things in his way. "Understood. Proof enough for you to comm the Fleet?" 

He reached ahead of him with the Force to call the turbolift, not willing to waste even those seconds, and stretched out with his mind, seeing Master Plo. Cato Neimoidia, he knew where to look, it just -- 

\-- _pain_. Master Plo was in agony, his mind slipping towards unconsciousness, and he whined from the backlash of it, stumbling as he dragged his awareness back into himself. With Master Plo unavailable (oh, Force **no** , had his men been turned?) and Master Tiin dead, who was there that could reach many at once? Who...

Master Plo's niece, maybe? He didn't know her at all well, but he knew the sense of her. He leaned against the turbolift, and reached down to Coruscant, to the Temple, desperately seeking. ~Sha, Sha Koon, I need you!~ 

~Who… no, Skywalker….~ There was pain in her, but less, an echo, perhaps of her relative's? The Kel Dor were telepathic; were they also communal in maintaining psychic links to their kin, and others? ~I am present for you. Speak.~

Thank the Force. He gathered himself, half-hearing Yularen's assent, breathing slow, and told her what she needed to know as quickly as he could. ~The Temple is in danger. Don't question, please. There is a device in our _vod'e_ that can override their will and force them to obey implanted orders. It will be activated in the Home Guard soon, and they will come against the Jedi. Get the younglings _out_ , whatever else you do. Chancellor Palpatine has been Darth Sidious all along. Masters Fisto, Kolar, Tiin, and possibly Windu are dead at his hands. I'm on my way to start comming Rimward. Warn who you can?~

There was a long moment of fury that blanched down into mournful grief before morphing into the steady concept of duty that Anakin knew well from working with Plo Koon. ~I know the secrets of the Temple. The young and old will be safe, I promise.~

~Force protect you,~ Anakin answered her, as they needed a little more than just the Force being _with_ them, right now, ~and them.~

He pulled away from the connection, if slowly, relief running through him. At least there was that, if he accomplished nothing else, they would get the younglings out. Sha Koon let him go without further conversation, and the turbolift reached the bridge level. He hit the comm suite two minutes later, two units on his mind but only one his most desperate priority. 

"Move," he snapped at the Fleet officer manning it, slid into place, ran a set of encryptions, and locked on Rex's frequency. "Commander Rex. Skywalker here, _come the kriff in_." 

Nothing but silence and static greeted his efforts, even once he pushed the override to make the communicator in the helmet turn on. Rex was not on the other end at all.

He spit profanity, shut the channel back down, and commed for the _Negotiator_ , for Obi-Wan, an old prayer for the suns to dim running in the back of his mind. He hadn't felt his Master die yet (the thought made all of him need to scream), hadn't felt his padawan leave him either... His fingers cued channels for Aayla, for Master Mundi, for Master Allie, for Bultar Swan -- he ran out of channels and let his mind keep listing those he most wanted to contact. 

The _Negotiator_ comm officer had to tell him that he could not reach the General's communicator, and that the Commander was only reporting that the situation was under control. That set Anakin's hackles up, but he held tight to the fact he had not felt Obi-Wan die (could not, feel that, not with his sanity intact, could not lose his brother…) to keep moving.

Aayla Secura was almost more concerning. "Not now… be safe in the Force, Skywalker, but the men are not themselves!" and then the communication cut out. Her voice had been a low, hissing whisper, not without the edge of pain in it.

There was no answer with Ki-Adi-Mundi's unit initially, and then when he came back to it, the answer was 'situation under control'.

Aayla was alive, somehow, and knew. He wrapped that around himself, tight, and kept comming, trying desperately to get ahead of Palpatine's activation of the chips. He lucked out first with Stass Allie and then with, of all of them, _Luminara_ , and he snapped the warning at her and kept at it. He hadn't tried for Yoda, who he knew was already aware of Palpatine, but he did try now for Master Billaba -- she had a padawan to defend -- hoping. 

"Go ahead," Depa answered in that way she had while dividing time between needing to communicate and actively doing something at the same time. "Caleb, slower," she called. "Sorry," she added to her contact on the comm, using voice only at this point.

"Master. Skywalker here. Get clear of the men, however you can. Dooku left them booby-trapped, and the switch is being flipped. They'll kill you, they can't stop themselves. Don't come back to Coruscant, _get away_. Get Caleb away. We'll rescue them from it later. It's Palpatine, he's Sidious." 

Depa's breathing quickened, and she felt a flare of the power calling to her, threatening to twist her once more away from sanity and the Light. "Skywalker, I do not profess to understand, but I will listen. We will go." He knew her, he thought, well enough to know what she was thinking. She would not risk staying, could not risk her padawan -- the boy was adorable, laughing and bright. Nor, if he knew her, would she allow her men to deal with the fallout of being forced to hurt the boy. Of herself, she had no concern.

He laughed, knowing it was rough and broken, and said "Understanding's past me, too. Force protect you, Master," before he cut the comm and went back to trying to raise every Knight he knew of, pulling up a roster of the living and on the front on-screen. 

The lower in the ranks he got, the more often he succeeded -- and his reputation stood him in good stead there. Anyone in the Temple, Sha Koon had. Outside of it... he looked at the list with agony ripping through him, knowing how many of them he hadn't reached -- but he had gotten some. 

He fell back against the seat, giving up for the moment... and reached for his bonds. Neither were severed; he could feel both of them alive. Sense told him that Utapau and Mandalore were hundreds of parsecs too far to span with a human's telepathy, that he was needed awake and aware, not in a mind-burned catatonia, but... _Ahsoka_. _Master_. 

He reached for his padawan first. 

The bond firmed for a moment, then filtered out with the haze of urgency in Ahsoka's mind. When Anakin pressed, she did reach back, trying to help him hold the link steady.

~Danger. Hiding. Protected.~

Less the clear communication with Sha, but Anakin could grasp the concepts quickly when all Ahsoka was pushing was her impressions rather than words.

~I know. So sorry. _I love you_. Hide!~ 

~Am.~

The link faded then, just the trickle of awareness it was meant to be after she pulled free. The 'protected' had been laced with a concept of not being alone as well as a secure sense of familiarity.

Someone was with her, someone they trusted. Anakin didn't dare try to guess who, didn't dare hope, and he let go of the link to her to reach for his Master instead. He was alive, he was there, now if only, please, please let him _answer_... 

~Caution… curiosity?~ After another agonizing few seconds for Anakin, the link expanded to an exhausted but true connection. ~Anakin? Force save you, but it's _you_!~ There was an awareness that Anakin had not quite been himself before this.

~At the moment,~ Anakin agreed, clinging desperately to the link. ~You're alive, you're alive, you're safe... oh, _my Master_ , I'm so sorry...~ 

~Safe might be stretching it. Avoiding danger so far,~ Obi-Wan sent, managing his dry wit in the bond. ~Can't hold this though, Anakin.~

~I know. It's not their fault. You were right all along. I'm so sorry. Don't come back. Stay safe, find other survivors. I'll come to you. _Don't come back!_ ~ He poured all of his desperation and strength into holding the connection, into getting that warning through. 

There was confusion, then something that might have been assent before wariness edged out Obi-Wan's ability to hold it on his side, telling Anakin his master needed to move again.

Anakin hissed frustration and opened his eyes, swaying in the chair as the toll of what he'd done sank into his body and psyche -- but he couldn't stop yet. He'd... there was something... 

Right. The Senator. 

He tapped the comm code from his Angel in and waited, braced against the edge of the comm suite. 

"Knight Skywalker!" Bail Organa himself had answered the chirp, as few had his personal code "This is a surprise. How may I help you?" There were edges to the man's eyes, a wariness, and a sense of being braced for the worst.

"Senator," Anakin dipped his head, regretted it, and focused on the man's dark eyes. "The Chancellor confessed to me that he is the Sith Lord Sidious, Dooku's counterpart in the Republic. I have seen him use Force Lightning, and I know that he is now attempting to destroy the Order. Your lady Queen's bad influence knows and agrees with me on this. 

"Please, do what you can to ensure that truth is not buried... but be safe. Force guard you." 

Bail's eyes widened, but there was a slight relaxing of the spine. What had emerged was confirmation of worst possible suspicions on the political arena, yet it was obvious that it was not what he feared would be told to him by Anakin Skywalker. How obvious had the Chancellor's influence on him really been, that a man he barely knew looked so wary? 

"Please, if you are in touch with that bad influence, tell her to remain safe. There are rumors that some who signed have been arrested, the less powerful members," he said sincerely. "And… you are Kenobi's former student. It is more than reasonable to listen to you, even as incredulous as it all sounds.

"Force keep you safe, young Jedi."

Anakin felt his lips skin back from his teeth, a burst of new fury giving him strength, and he dipped his head. The _karking hell_ anyone was so much as laying a hand on his wife, let alone arresting her. "I will warn her," he agreed, and shut down the comm. The fury made it easier to get up and head for the turbolift than it would have been. He knew he should let it go, that using rage for strength marked him Dark, marked him Fallen... but it was all he had to draw on, and he must defend his men and his wife. 

Leaning against the wall of the turbolift, he commed the Admiral again. "Anything new?" 

"It's the chip. My best intel analyst has cracked its coding… orders, so many of them, Skywalker, that cannot be ignored once the chip is fully active," Yularen offered, sounding weary. "The Fleet is divided. I tried to only contact those I knew to be sensible. I misjudged Ozzel, I fear, and he spread information to those I do not trust."

"Kriffing hell," Anakin replied, too tired not to swear. "That's _just_ what we need. I think now's the moment we jump to hyperspace and run dark, Admiral. I've done everything I can for what's left of the Order, and sent word to the Senate." 

"I agree. I took it upon myself to order a new squad to medical, where my security staff tranqued them. I am hoping, once we have more of them through the relatively simple surgery, that your men will begin waylaying their own fellows to keep this moving swiftly. Unless, of course, my analyst finds a switch to cut it off entirely." Yularen was already motioning his bridge crew to start prepping for the jump.

"Glad you did, Admiral," Anakin replied, breathing a little easier. He wouldn't breathe easy until they were in hyperspace, but. The Admiral was on it. He'd go update Padmé, and then be to medical to offer what support he could to his men. 

If any of them would listen to him after this. 

He'd never thought to check. He hadn't fought hard enough for Tup. For Fives. The warnings would all have been there if he'd just remembered that all slavers were the same, and he hadn't. He could never make that up to them, but all he could do was try. 

+++


	2. Chapter 2

The Temple should be completely destroyed at this point. The Jedi Order itself should be on its knees, all but exterminated by now. **Why** wasn't it? He could not summon the Senators to the session that would give him his triumph with so many of the interfering meddlers unaccounted for! 

The tools of his ascension had better not have failed him in destroying the Chosen One's precious ones. His apprentice needed to be reminded that punishment for failures such as that would fall swiftly.

In fact…

"Thire. Go retrieve the Naboo Senator. Bring her to me." Yes. The death of the beloved Senator of Naboo by lightsaber would do much for stirring up the populace, as well as discipline his apprentice. 

Little did the man know that his chosen apprentice had already anticipated him… and his plans were falling apart faster than the Force was willing to let him see.

+++

Commander Wolffe piloted the ARC-Interceptor alone, his General not even semi-conscious in the second seat next to him. He did not know what had happened to his brothers when that strange voice snapped a nonsensical order to him, but all of those closest to him had turned weapons upon his General. He had had to kill brothers to defend his General, to get his heavy weight into a fighter, and grief and rage warred within him over that. At least his own brothers, his Pack, had been in the skies a quadrant away, and it was not Boost and Sinker and Comet that had fallen to his hand. 

He had commed up to the Admiral, faking grief, that the General was dead, and that had somehow calmed the camp. Calmed them enough that he was able to take off and escape towards Dorin. There, he hoped, his General would be safe and able to recover. 

Once that was done, his General, his _buir_ , would learn what had happened to his _vod'e_ , and how to fix it. Wolffe had faith in that. 

+++ 

Tera Sinube was more accustomed to dealing with the deep underworld than the refined heights of the Senatorial levels... but he yet knew how to contact his planet's own Senator, and as he shepherded a group of younglings through the labyrinth of passages towards a large abandoned space, he placed just such a call. In calm, simple words, he explained the apparently unprovoked attack upon the Temple by clone soldiers, stressing that the younglings, elders, and wounded were the only ones within. He did not give up any guidance to his location, but only entreated his Senator to speak for them, before continuing on his way with the precious little ones. 

He also did not mention that he had told every Knight and Master now guiding their own youngling groups through Coruscant's depths to do the same. If his planet's Senator was involved with the Sith, it would not do to tell xir that others were also aware. 

+++

Aayla Secura was doing her best to evade the men that, until just the day before, she had trusted more than any other beings in the world.

Only the fact that her sense of them had changed, and she had felt Bly struggle as he switched the blaster to stun, had given her any hope that they would overcome this. Her entire abdomen still hurt from the close range stun blast, her commander's words playing over and over in her head.

 _"Stay down,"_ had been hissed so quietly that there was no way any of the others could have heard, and his armored form had been her shield from the whine of the other weapons going live. As much as the stun had hurt, it hadn't been able to knock her unconscious, given it had been delivered at too close a range.

She had used every Jedi technique for patience and overriding emotions to lay there as if dead as Bly moved the men on, but she would not give up on them. Skywalker's comm gave her more hope that this would be fixed. For now, her duty to her men was to stay alive, stay out of their sight, and protect them from afar as she healed. 

Not that that was terribly difficult, as all of the B1s and droidekas had gone into a sudden shutdown not long after she pulled herself back off the ground. Many of the B2s and the DSD1s were still active, but they did not have the numbers here to threaten her men as much. 

Why were the Commerce Guild and Techno Union droids still active, when the Trade Federation's were not? 

+++

When Admiral Yularen had ordered the men through medical for decontamination procedures, Appo had taken it in stride. It was a bit odd to go through the Fleet medical suite, but they still had a fairly untried medical officer in their own ranks, so he did not protest.

He only vaguely remembered trying to defend himself from the security member who had fired a tranq dart, could almost taste the bitter regret of not having been in his helmet when he reported. Now, waking up without restraints and still on his own ship, he was left more with a confusion than any lingering resentment… and then he remembered _more_.

His breathing went off rhythm, his heart rate climbed, and he slammed his hands over his face, trying desperately to forget that he had been turned completely and thoroughly against the Jedi, his body primed to go attack them at the mention of an unconfirmed treachery on their part.

"Stars, no…" he moaned.

"Appo," his General's voice said, firm and even -- if stressed -- on his name, "calm down, _vod_. It's gone, now. You're okay. Steady, Appo... come on." 

"General, I… you!" Appo struggled to find the words. "How did they do that to us, and who?" he managed after a breath to find his composure and training. "Tell me you haven't finished them off, sir, so me and the boys can make it painful."

His General moved, shifted more into his field of view, and his flesh hand settled light on Appo's arm. That wasn't normal, not for him, but Appo pushed against it a little, focusing on his General's darkened ghost eyes. The set of that hard jaw said 'rage' to Appo's trained eye, and Skywalker took a slow breath of his own. 

"No, he's not dead yet," was the first part of the answer, and Appo smiled harshly before his General went on, "but killing him isn't, honestly, a job for you men -- no more than Dooku was, and for the same reason. Now, the longnecks that enabled it? _They're_ all yours, just as soon as we get there." 

Appo growled a little, before smiling vindictively. "Hunting longnecks is a dream of many of the men, sir, if we're being honest."

The too-new commander wished he had Rex's ease in asking answers of the man they revered and would follow into _haran_ itself. Something was still very wrong with his general, but he didn't know how, or even what, to ask.

His General's eyes flashed sharp pleasure for a moment before he nodded an understanding that baffled Appo more than a little. "As to 'how'," he held up a small device between his thumb and forefinger, some kind of gleaming metal, "there's -- or there was -- one of these karking obscenities in all of your brothers. Wired to take over your personality, shove you aside and compel you to follow a set of orders.

"Remember what happened to Tup? Yeah. It was this _thing_." 

Appo's eyes shaded over before he looked sharply at his general. "Then… When Fives attempted to kill the Chancellor, was it because of Tup? Did he find out the truth? Karking hero; should have come and got us all!"

"Fives found out the truth," his General agreed, the rage sharpening in his eyes and his cheeks and the set of his shoulders, "but no-one would listen -- and the _hut'uun aruetii_ sitting in the Chancellor's seat made me forget that _I_ knew what he'd found. That's not all he's done, and I'm probably not entirely safe for anyone... but he took **you** from me and that broke what he'd done." 

Appo reached for Anakin's shoulder before he could remember that the man was his general, his _jetii_ , in reaction to the strong emotion in those words. "We are yours, to the man, sir," he vowed. "Is there anything I should be watching for, until we get Cap… I mean, Commander Rex back?"

He refused, utterly and completely, to believe Rex had come to harm in all of this, but to do so meant that he had to believe no orders had reached the other half of the 501st concerning the supposed treachery. Their Commander -- General now, Appo reminded himself -- would protect herself, and there was little chance Rex hadn't been near her. She was no longer a Jedi, true, but there wasn't a _vod_ alive that didn't consider her still their _jetii_ , which meant she might -- no. No, he refused to believe that what had happened to him and his men had made it to the other half of the unit. 

His General, to his shock, had ducked down enough that his reaching hand had, in fact, settled on his shoulder, and his General's hand settled on his shoulder in return. "I know, Appo... and yes. Any sign of my eyes sliding yellow, or if I go to lift someone by the throat, knock me the hell unconscious, because what he's done to me over the years is taking over again. 

"I've been in contact," he tapped at his temple with his free hand, "with Master Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. They're both fine -- and I need you to spread that to the men, they're both _fine_ \-- and General Secura and some of the others have responded on comms, as well."

Some. That word sent chills down his spine, but then again… not all Jedi were _jetii_ , as Umbara had shown them.

"I'll tell the men, sir. Both how to help you and that they are safe." Appo hoped that meant no order, as he didn't want to have lost brothers, either. 

His General nodded, and sat still for a moment, hand still clasped around his shoulder, before he slowly opened his fingers and let his hand slip down. "Thank you, Appo. One decent thing that _hut'uun_ did was tell me where the Sep leadership is holed up. We're headed there to acquire the lot of them. Or, you know, whoever decides not to resist, anyway." 

That careless shrug looked a little more dangerous than usual to Appo's eyes. He was going to have to walk a tight line between his thirst for vengeance for all his brothers who had died and a need to keep his General from falling to his own brain-washing.

"Sir, not that I'm not willing to do anything I can for you, but is there a way to pull your bad programming out?"

His General sighed, almost too soft to hear, and looked back at his eyes. "I can deal with some of it by meditating, but the Admiral was probably right, I need a true telepath's help, preferably one with the Force. Or my Master. I _am_ working on it, it's just... slippery." 

"I may not be of much help, and I'm no Rex, sir, but I do listen," Appo told him, worried, but also dedicated to his _jetii_. "If you need a second opinion on things, at any time, and no one needs to know why."

Skywalker studied him for a long moment, before relief showed in his eyes and his shoulders relaxed a little. "I'm going to take you up on that," he said quietly, almost as though the words hurt. "I know I'm not entirely myself, and I don't want to be what **he** wants. I'm okay right now, with no-one but my men and my crew around, but put me in combat, and... it's going to be so, so hard not to let the rage win." 

"Then, sir, I think this sounds like a perfect campaign for you to let us do our job and provide air support instead," Appo said. "Going to tell the men your head got messed with; have to, sir. They just don't need to know it still is."

His General's jaw tightened and his eyes dropped, but he nodded. "You're right. There's no way but to tell them, since everyone heard me repeating his words. Think they'd appreciate knowing they saved me?" 

"That's kind of why, sir," Appo told him softly. "They need to know why you could believe that of _jetii_ ," and he purposefully used that word because it had deeper meaning. "They need to understand why we redeployed the way we did. And knowing you shared what we felt… it's going to make it easier to help any brothers who got an order that took them away from themselves, when we get them back.

"Because anything a _jetii_ can suffer being inflicted on us makes it even less our fault that we almost did wrongful things."

Skywalker nodded, understanding showing in the eyes that were now back on his, even as he sighed. "He's been setting this up since I was nine -- standard nine, your four-and-a-half -- laying things in me that just waited for the right triggers. Just like you were flash-trained, except with the Force. Tell them that, too. 

"Because we're going to need each other, to get through this. And we _will_ get through. We're going to have to stun an awful lot of your brothers, but we're going to get them back." 

"I'll start looking at some of those modifications Har-Hardcase was suggesting for if we got the Cato Neimoidia campaign," Appo said, voice struggling to mention their perpetual prankster, now lost because of an actual treacherous Jedi. "And yes sir. I'll tell them what they need, so they can put this past them faster, to help the others."

His General's eyes closed on Hardcase's name, before he nodded sharply. "Good. Anyone that's too shaken, comm me and I'll come to them." 

That seemed to be an end to his General's willingness to talk, if the way he stood up was any indication. 

Appo swung his legs over the side of the bed fully and made to rise… and the med droid didn't stop him. That was different, and he felt another pang for the loss of their medic. "I'll get everyone fit for duty, sir."

"I know," his General said, clasping his shoulder for another moment before he turned to go. 

+++ 

Riyo Chuchi sat in her Senate pod, watching the unrestrained chaos with wary eyes. It was unusual, in her experience, to have so many Senators challenging the Chancellor at once. He had had no choice in calling the session, as the Jedi Temple had obviously taken severe damage from some force and the HoloNet was alive with rumor and speculation... and the Chancellor's opening remarks about treason from the Jedi were immediately challenged by Senators she had never even heard speak before. 

They all seemed to have recorded testimony from Jedi elders and wounded -- and a few younglings -- that they had been attacked with lethal force by clone soldiers acting strangely, and were angry enough about those comms to challenge the Chancellor for the floor. 

"The only treason I smell here is that of a man who has grown too accustomed to power!" Senator Bail Organa declared, his voice calling out over top of everyone present. "Even if some Jedi braced the Chancellor over potential abuses of authority, by what right does that mean sending the Guard against the weak, the elderly, and the young of a group that has given such service?"

"How dare you accuse the Chancellor of being behind this coup of the soldiers against their merciless masters?!" a known constituent of the man's yelled back.

"Because, unlike many of you, I have monitored the men, learned their names and habits! And the lieutenant that my own security force stopped from attacking a Jedi messenger near me stated he was acting with the authority of the Supreme Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic!"

Shocked noises rippled through the room at his words -- including, Riyo realized, from her own throat -- and a new round of demands for explanations came just after. Her eyes turned from the display to the Chancellor (his ravaged face and changed eyes made her shudder, hard as she tried to hide it) and she thought she saw his robes moving in nonexistent wind, just for a moment.

He lifted both of his hands, his voice a little raspy but still full of that soft, compelling warmth that had made him so beloved of the people, his words soothing and -- 

\-- "Cease that, you will! With their minds tamper, you will no more!" 

The politician at the center of the spectacle responded with a struggle, it seemed to Riyo, as if he were at war with himself.

"The author of the Jedi treason joins us," he said in scathing tones, as Riyo's eyes found the small form of Master Yoda. 

"Treason?" This was a voice well known to all in the Senate, one that had been broadcast many times in assurance to the Republic that the war effort was being handled as best it could be by the men and the Fleet. "Treason, Chancellor Palpatine, is a word I would be careful with, given what Knight Skywalker and Admiral Yularen have found!" Obi-Wan Kenobi said firmly as he sauntered into full view. To Riyo's gaze, the man looked supremely confident and reasonable, his tone having been even in that warning.

Riyo's head turned, looking in towards the Chancellor, and the pure, vituperative hate she saw on those features and the blaze of his eyes made her cringe back in her pod even before the rasping snarl of "You!" cut through the air, and her eyes saw a faint crackle of energy around his fingers. She was not the only one that saw it, and this time the cries in the room were frightened. 

The Chancellor coughed in the next moment, almost doubling over, and when he straightened, he did not seem to be any calmer. "How _dare_ you pair of traitors appear to this body?!" he roared, and there was something awful in his voice. 

"Well, you see, Chancellor, there's this part of events where my men opened fire on me, after I completely lost their presences in my awareness, and it seemed like just the sort of thing a Sith might order, such a treacherous means of executing sentient beings who happen to be Jedi, around the galaxy." Obi-Wan's smile was dangerous, Riyo decided, as he stood with his weight on his rear foot, though the lightsaber was still on his belt. "And, Chancellor, there is no one with more experience living than I, and my dear brother Anakin Skywalker, in dealing with Sith."

Yoda made a noise that sounded suspiciously like an approving chuckle, but the ancient Jedi merely stood there, both hands folded over the top of his walking stick, the image of the serene and benevolent Jedi that many here still believed in.

"You did not do so well against the last," the Chancellor said, voice scathing, "and Skywalker is -- elsewhere. Guards, these two beings are -- " 

"You do not rule by decree!" Riyo found herself crying out in fury at the attempted silencing of the man she knew to be honorable and fair, "and they bring information, not an attack! We should he -- " 

She couldn't breathe, couldn't really move, her throat felt like it was being frozen the air around it was so cold -- and she was Pantoran, she was used to cold... 

The guards he had called for moved… and were met by an assortment of security details from various worlds loyal to the peace faction in the Senate. However, it was not going to help Riyo, and she struggled for air -- 

\-- "Tell you to stop such, I did," reached her ears, as if a parent was scolding a naughty child. She was able, barely, to focus on the fact the Chancellor's hood suddenly flipped down over his eyes. It was an utterly harmless, distracting maneuver, and suddenly the air rushed back to Riyo before the loathsome man masquerading as their leader snarled at the tiny green being.

"You dare, you pathetic excuse for a miserable, cowardly Jedi?!"

The voice was not their benevolent leader any longer, and Riyo cringed as an unnatural fear marched up and down her spine in response to it.

"To save young one from your attack? Dare much, I would," Master Yoda agreed, his voice mild. "Senator, well are you?" 

"I -- I can breathe again, at least," she answered, amazed that her voice only shook a little. More amazed that he could stand there so calmly, with that raging thing glaring down at him. 

"Senators, I implore you to grant at least a review of both the security footage from the Temple and the evidence that Admiral Yularen has for us before any further harm is done to your very salvation, the Grand Army itself, and the officers that have given up every hope of a normal life to lead them at your bequest!" Obi-Wan called out as the glaring match continued.

"Listen to Master Kenobi!" Bail called loudly. "The Jedi still sing the refrain of wishing peace, but when is the last time we heard the Chancellor promise to lay down the emergency powers instead of pressing for more through his cronies?"

There was an enraged noise from the Chancellor, and an arc of blue-white lightning leapt from the Chancellor towards Bail Organa, and Riyo felt real horror strike her. She knew that power was forbidden the Jedi, forbidden any user of the Force in Republic space -- and it missed her friend by only a matter of centimeters as he fell to the floor of his pod. 

"Sorry, Senator!" Obi-Wan Kenobi called, while Master Yoda left his walking stick behind and leapt towards the Chancellor's pod. 

"Just get the Sith, Master Jedi!" Bail yelled back, aplomb unshaken despite the near miss, so far as Riyo could hear from him. Panic broke out fully in the Senators, with some milling around by pulling their pods closer to allies, others trying head for exits, and still another group trying vainly to call for order in their shocked way.

Master Kenobi followed the small Jedi, one that Riyo had often thought of as frail, yet she saw now that perception was misleading. He took the brunt of the battle on his small green lightsaber that had only appeared after a red one sprouted in the Chancellor's hand.

The fight moved faster than she could follow, blazes of red and blue and green and acrobatics beyond what she thought possible, and the sound made her ears ring. She could hear both Jedi tell the revealed Sith to stop, and his screams of denial. Had he gone mad? The thought was almost an absent curiosity, but for him to show his hand like this could only be a madness. He could not hope to kill all of them, and unless he did his schemes were over....

Lightning burst outward, on the heels of that thought, and caught random pods, further adding to the chaos and fear in the air, possibly killing or injuring the occupants. Around the chamber, she could almost hear and see decisions being made about alliances, and some of the so-called cronies were maneuvering toward moderates while others were intent on escape.

Riyo knew that the smart thing to do would be to run, but she could not find it in herself to flee when it was very likely that the fate of the Republic itself was going to be decided right here, right now. /Be careful, Masters,/ she thought, and hoped for the Force to strengthen them enough. 

She had no idea how long it lasted, how long she crouched in her pod and watched the battle rage in front of her... but eventually, blue and green blades sank to their hilts in the Chancellor's body, and an explosion of something half-lightning and half-plasma knocked both Jedi backward from their perches on high-up pods, sending them falling, falling -- 

\-- they caught themselves, just barely, on two of the other pods, each looking half-dead, but they were breathing. 

"Arrest them!" Mas Amedda called out, before either Jedi could catch their breath.

"No, I don't think so," the Bothan observer said, having made it to Corellia's side. "Unless you wish to alienate the entirety of the Neutral Systems, you will admit that the Republic, the Senate, has been the plaything of a Sith for the last thirteen years, closing in on fourteen, and shut your manipulative, lying mouth, Chagrian!"

"More than just the Neutral Systems," the translator droid for the Senator of Kashyyyk said -- not that Riyo thought most people needed translation for that roar -- and her voice was joined by several others. Riyo felt faint, but added her own voice. 

What would happen now, she could not imagine, but at least the man that had tried to kill her, to kill Bail, had been exposed for the monster he was.


	3. Chapter 3

Plo Koon woke slowly, so slowly, and the feeling of no mask or goggles was concerning for a moment. Then he realized that he was breathing Dorin air, and not in pain at all. Given his last memories, both of those were vanishingly unlikely, and he felt his tusks twitch in a frown as he opened his eyes, blinking at low light and a smooth cavern ceiling. What? 

" _Buir_ ," came an explosive exclamation from his side, and then motion impacted his awareness. The fully sealed set of armor that came into view confirmed which of his men it was, as if there had ever been any doubt.

"... _Ad_?" Plo asked, trying to put his need to understand what was happening into the word. His Wolffe was at his side, despite the poisonous-to-human environment, but... they had not been near Dorin, and he felt so disconnected from his body, from -- "What...?" 

Wolffe settled on his berth, laying a gauntleted hand on his chest. "You faltered in your flight, and agreed to land? Then… the world turned kriffing upside-down, with vod'e shooting at you with intent to kill!" It came out as a snarl, as Wolffe's emotions seeped in past the fog Plo felt around his mind.

Plo made a quiet, dismayed noise -- he could not imagine his men attacking him so, but Wolffe's distress (confusion and anger and shock) were so blatant that he could also not disbelieve. He tried to remember, tried to focus, and Lia's mental voice murmured to him. ~Do not, old friend. You have much psychic trauma, and your body and mind are not well enough for you to prod at it.~ 

~Lia, I must -- ~ He was prepared to argue with her, even as she brought her professional and personal weight to bear on his mind with gentle precision to enforce her own will.

~You must heal, or you will go unconscious again, and further frighten your young son.~ 

~Blasted healer,~ he muttered at her. He was Sage and Jedi alike; he ought not be so easily laid low. And using Wolffe's worry against him was completely unfair. 

~Not easily,~ she chided him, so very gently. ~Speak to your human son, then rest. There is nothing you can do, yet.~ 

He decided that arguing with healers was a poor choice, and sighed. Now he knew why he felt so strange, between medicines and whatever temporary block she had put into his mind, of course he would. "So this time you saved me," he said, soft and affectionate, looking up at his son, his Wolffe. 

"My job," Wolffe pointed out, but the mental flavor of the words made it both honor and sacred duty, as well as the only thing Wolffe could wish to do. "You shouldn't be awake yet. The medic said it would be days."

Plo made a softly amused noise at his distressed _ad_ , moving a hand -- mm, not that one, as an IV line was apparently in it -- to rest on his Wolffe's hand on his chest. "So she tells me," he grumbled, vexed. "I... believe I... felt something. With as muted as the healers have my connections, it must have been something... very powerful. I don't... remember." 

"All due respect, _buir_ , don't push it." Wolffe locked down parts of his own mind, Plo felt, hiding away unpleasantness. "Give yourself time to heal, and trust me to keep you safe."

"Always," Plo told him softly, about that last, though he frowned again at how muted even their connection was. Necessary, probably, but it did not suit him to have his _ad_ shielded from him. "My _ad_." 

He was somehow exhausted, just from a few minutes' conversation, and his eyes closed. "You _are_ minding your oxygen filters, yes?" 

Wolffe started chuckling at him. " _Elek_ ," he answered, once he had gotten past the mirth. "I'm changing out scrubbers and reclamation pockets once a day, _buir_ , inside the ship. Started algae trays on the way here, so the air on ship stays breathable."

Plo nodded, relaxing a little more -- though that made him more tired -- to hear that Wolffe was truly caring for himself. His son could be single-minded in ways detrimental to his health, after all. "...good," he murmured, as sleep tried to drag him back under. 

"Sleep. Your care is in my protection," Wolffe said, staying close, physically touching, to ease the transition to rest.

++++

Coric was still treating brothers as quickly as he could -- the _Resolute_ had dropped out of hyperspace a system away from Mustafar -- and cursing that he was the one stuck working with Fleet medical to do it, but he had seniority over the other medics (their new one was so shiny his armor still squeaked, and he... hadn't responded well to being awakened). So he was stuck. They were almost to the end of it, while a quartet of scout ships kept eyes on Mustafar itself -- karking lava-rock sounded like it was going to be _haran_ to take, but they'd do it -- when his comm started shrilling at him. 

That wasn't just a klaxon, that was the General's astromech spitting a torrent of binary near-hysterics faster than Coric could translate, but he got 'Pilot' and 'down' and 'Senator' and 'labor'... and knew he turned pale with the sheer amount of blood draining from his face. What had happened to his General?!

He was grateful it didn't take his touch to run the surgical droid (his brothers would likely be dead, and he was so tired of losing them _without_ it being his fault) and he called to the Fleet medic to take over. If the General and Senator needed him, he had to go. Now. 

"Artoo, slow down, slow down, I'm on my way!" he finally got a word in edgewise of the astromech's chatter as he slung a full med-pack over both shoulders, then he ran for the turbolift. The Senator was still living on her ship, he knew, which at least meant it wasn't a terribly long trip. 

There was a heartbeat, two, without the beeping. Then Artoo began again, spelling it out again.

[Pilot collapsed. Baby soon. Come help all?] he asked Coric more precisely.

What? 

Oh, _storms!_

The idea of the General collapsing was frightening, and it made his blood run cold, but not even half as much as 'baby soon' did. He knew absolutely nothing about human females' medical needs, especially not for reproduction, but he was sure this was about to be a completely terrifying experience. And it was the _Senator_. If anything happened to her, with the strain the General was already under... didn't bear thinking about. 

"On my way," he repeated, waiting for the turbolift, and did not tell the droid that he had no idea what he was going to do when he got there. "See you at the ramp," he told him, and changed channels to get to Appo. "Sir?" 

"Lieutenant?" Appo answered after a moment. "What do you need?"

"Anyone else listening on your end?" 

"No. I was trying to get to the shower while it was empty," Appo admitted. "What is wrong?"

"Artoo just called me to the Senator's ship. Something's wrong with the General and -- and -- the Senator is, what's the phrase damn it, 'in labor'? Think that's what Artoo said. The _ik'aad_."

"How the _haran_ do you handle a woman uncorking?" Appo asked, pausing in removing his armor. Maybe his shower should wait. Then the part about the General actually registered. "I'll meet you there, Ell Tee."

"Yes sir. And I have _no karking idea_ ," Coric replied, grateful to hear his CO as unnerved as he was. "See you shortly. Coric out." 

He shut the comm back off and paid attention to getting to where he needed to be rather than the thoughts crowding his brain. What the kriff was he supposed to do to help?! Maybe he should have brought a Fleet medic along, they'd know what to do to with a woman in need -- sure, and have the General out for his blood later for letting Fleet near his _riduur_. Yeah, no. He'd figure it out. 

He waved off assorted brothers as he got back off the turbolift and picked a jog back up, until he was at the silver ship and heading up the ramp. 

"Ahh, Lieutenant Coric, thank you for coming," Threepio said, much calmer than his binary-spewing counterpart. "Mistress Padmé is this way. I am most concerned about both her and the maker."

"So's Artoo," Coric replied, glad that Threepio _was_ calm, or at least, calmer, as he followed. 

The Senator didn't look too bad, if a little flushed, but she was crouched next to the General -- who was collapsed on the floor, a hand spasming. "Si -- ma'am? What happened?" 

"I don't know," the Senator said, shaking her head, her dark eyes wide as her gaze studied him for a moment, then went back to the General's too-still form. "We were talking about me trying to help with your more... distressed... brothers -- he was pacing, the wait is... getting to him. When he suddenly just. Started to scream, and then collapsed. He's breathing steadily, and his pulse is strong, but I can't wake him. 

"And as I got up to get _to_ him, I realized my water had broken and now I'm having very emphatic contractions." 

Some days he really hated idiom. He had absolutely no idea what she meant. How did water break? "Sorry, s -- ma'am, what? Do you need immediate assistance, or can I check on my General first?" 

"Check Anakin," the Senator said, pushing herself to try and walk in the small space available. "Make certain he is stable. Then I will need help. Threepio has the programming, but we had not picked up any supplies yet." She grimaced a little as, apparently, the discomfort intensified. "I really hope you have a spinal block in your kit bag."

"I do," Coric answered, relieved at being able to give her a positive answer to one thing, and he moved into the space she'd left, crouching down next to his General and pulling out a scan patch. He had to move layers of cloth to get to skin (not for the first time, he wondered why the Generals insisted on layers that weren't armor) but it wasn't a difficult job. A minute later, once it had activated, everything looked stable. He needed a different scanner for neurological function, and sealed it across one of his General's temples. 

He did _not_ like those readings, and frowned, glaring at the remote display. Some of that might be normal for a _jetii_ , he wasn't sure, but spikes and troughs like that could not be good. While he was still trying to decipher all of it, he heard Appo's stride and lifted a welcoming hand backwards at his CO. "Could use a hand getting him up on the couch, sir." 

"Alright." Appo did look at the pacing woman, wondered if that was normal, then shrugged it off before aiding Coric. The General was built solid in what there was of him, and it was easier with two.

Padmé watched, biting the inside of her cheek against the wave of contractions. She was early, and knew it, but not that much. She also knew the contractions were closer together than she'd read up on for a first pregnancy, but she would just focus on being positive.

Coric made sure the General was settled comfortably, and gave the readouts from the neural monitor another frustrated look. He just didn't know enough about what was normal for a _jetii_ (did anyone? He couldn't imagine General Skywalker holding still for someone to take readings while he did things), but he really didn't like the look of that. "Has to have been some Force event, _vod_ ," he told Appo. "He's stable, but I don't like the look of those brainwave scans. Don't know if I should try administering something to wake him up, or let his mind try to even back out on his own, either." 

"If he's not in danger, let him rest," the Senator said firmly, with a pained note in her voice that Coric didn't like hearing. 

"...if you say so, ma'am." Despite the situation, Coric felt a little smug that he'd remembered the right form of address instead of having to correct himself. 

"What can we do for you, ma'am?" Appo asked, deciding he really wasn't allowed to ignore either a Senator or his General's chosen mate.

"Threepio can --" and she broke off as the pain intensified again --"walk Lieutenant Coric through what is needed, but I think we're having the baby now."

Coric flinched for a moment, ignoring the attempt at panic from his the back of his brain, and he moved over to the fidgeting protocol droid, looking back at Appo for a moment. "Sir, if you'd stay with the General and keep an eye on those vitals, I'd appreciate it. Maybe talk to him. 

"Okay, Threepio, tell me what you know so I can help." 

The droid's optics brightened in what was blatantly relief, and Coric pulled every trick to immediately memorize verbal information he'd ever had trained into him to the forefront of his mind. He wasn't going to get a second shot at getting this down. 

+++ 

Ahsoka had been going strong, refusing to give into fear, hunger, or a need for rest as they worked to avoid the danger of the men. She really didn't want to hurt any of them, but the command to sleep was not working when they ran into troopers.

That didn't even count the Death Watch that wanted her head on a pike for the damages she had done to their ranks.

She could keep going, drawing on the Force, as wounded as it felt, as long as needed --

\-- until she felt the bond with her Master, a distant awareness at best right now, suddenly go violently active and then shut off. It made her waver on her feet, a cry that began in human hearing and went too high to be heard escaping without her awareness.

Strong, gentle hands wrapped around her waist, holding her upright and steady, a low, concerned, "Ahsoka?" said against her montral. Rex's hands felt strange in lifted Death Watch armor instead of his own, but she still knew them. 

Ahsoka reeled in her pain and terror. In all their time separated, she had held faith in her master to survive, to grow stronger past the hurt she had caused. She had to force her body to come out of the 'flight' need, sagging into Rex's support.

She had Rex. They would get through this.

"We've got to get a ship," she said after another long moment. "We need to get to Anakin."

"Not going to be easy," Rex murmured, but that tone was accepting, not dissuading. "What's -- can you tell anything about what's happened to my General? You don't scream like that for much of anything."   
.   
Ahsoka closed her eyes, trying to sort out the feeling. She then shook her head. "Something exploded in the bond, on his end, and now… now I can't really feel him at all." She hoped, prayed that it was not death; surely that would have ripped at her. They had never broken the training bond, and theirs ran deep. "I think he has to live, because I can function right now. But that's all I can say."

"Okay," Rex said, quiet and determined, and she could feel him considering how they were going to get off the planet more intently than he had been. "Once we've got a ship... where then?" 

"We hope Artoo will answer a ping?" she asked sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Rexter; I don't know. I just need to get to him!"

"No need to apologize," he told her, hands still sure on her waist. "And that's a perfectly good plan -- I mean, it's Artooey." 

She nodded, leaning into him a bit longer, before forcing herself to work through it in her head. "Frontal assault on that Death Watch camp, steal their ship?" she asked, knowing they'd never suspect an attack of two against eight.

"Sure, why not?" Rex's dry voice replied, amusement in it, as he let go. "Nothing we can't handle."

+++

"Why won't he wake up?"

The Senator's question was asked very calmly, and Coric had to admire her ability to maintain her composure. He kept his eyes averted; he'd already seen too much of this woman up close and personal, and was planning on voluntary sterilization rather than ever do that to a woman of any species.

He thought it was humorous, the smacking noises that occasionally sounded under her light shawl. Both infants, and that had been a shock, were already eating strongly, just two days after birth, and adapting well to the sling that kept them close to their mother so they did not have to exert themselves. They were even close to normal size, by all Coric had dug up on human reproduction, despite the Senator's concerns over an early birth.

"Near as I can tell, from the scanner, his mind is… cycling? Over and over again, and not connecting to whatever it is hunting for. Admiral Yularen has had a brief contact, highly coded and with Jedi origination codes, but the message has not been released. Appo said, though, that we should expect a General inbound, very soon, to handle the mission.

"I'd think whichever General it is should be able to tell us more," Coric told her.

She shifted her weight, and when he looked towards her at the sound, her gaze was very, very thoughtful, and a little concerned. "I hope so," she said, soft and even. "We need him to wake up." 

Coric had the oddest feeling that she was including the _vod'e_ in that 'we', and it ached, soft and warm, deep in his chest. "Yes, ma'am, we do." 

"We will keep watch over him." Padmé sighed softly, and he saw the waiting was weighing heavily on her. "I don't suppose you might still have some of that akar jerky that Ahsoka was so fond of? I developed a taste for it, and it's a good, light snack for me while I mind the twins and Anakin." Her mention of the Commander, Coric decided, was meant to reassure him that there was hope out there. The General would have made certain they knew to Remember her name, if she had gotten caught up in the trouble.

He appreciated that, a lot, and flicked a pouch open to check. "Do still have some, ma'am. Here." He fished it out and handed it over, smiling at her. He wished he had more to offer her, more information, more hope, anything... but all he had was that his General was still physically strong, and one of the other Generals was on the way. 

"Thank you, Coric," she said warmly, accepting it and breaking off a tiny piece to suck on. Her presence was smoothing into a calm waiting, something Coric felt was as much for him as for the children.

"Of course, ma'am," Coric answered, and did settle. 

+++ 

Tera Sinube ushered a larger group of younglings than he'd taken into Coruscant's depths onto the small, somewhat shabby cargo ship one of the elders of the AgriCorps had brought with a shipment of supplies for one of Coruscant's main grocers. No-one looked too carefully at the ships bringing food, after all, and he had recalled the comm channels to reach the Master on Taanab. 

There could be no return to the Temple, not with the clones still under the influence of that vile device, and so the younglings must go. He had sensed the death of the Sith -- all Jedi had, he thought -- and the presence of Master Yoda... but his first priority was the safety of the younglings. Once they were safely away, then he would attempt to find Yoda, and learn more of what had happened. 

He was fairly certain that the others who had taken younglings from the Temple would do much the same. He exchanged a few words with the Master, and departed the ship again... after pausing to reassure two of the younglings that everything would be well. 

+++

The hyperspace jump had gone a long way to letting Obi-Wan catch up to his own rest, even as he continued to fret over his men, his former padawan, and his grand-padawan. She would not even have been in harm's way, had he not gotten them all involved on Mandalore!

Anakin… Anakin he could help immediately, or so he hoped. When he had collapsed after the duel in the Senate, finally exhausted beyond the Force's ability to cope, he had been vaguely aware that something was wrong.

Coming back to consciousness had given him more awareness of Anakin's straits, and he had done what he could to get everything communicated with Yularen to be able to get access.

In truth, Obi-Wan had a headache and a half ahead of him. Saving the men from themselves was a top priority, but even that was taking a back seat to the stress of learning which Admirals were taking the late Chancellor's side, and which were following Admiral Yularen's leadership, in the face of the Jedi not being able to get back to their fleet ships.

Now, as he docked his ship and found Appo waiting for him, he had to lock down his concerns for the 212th, put on his best Jedi mask, and help Anakin come back to himself.

"Sir," Appo said, before indicating the Naboo ship. "Admiral Yularen said I was to make certain you assisted General Skywalker first."

Facing a _vod_ he knew, who had been restored to himself, made the empty spot off his left shoulder ache worse than ever, but he managed a faint smile for Appo anyway. "It's good to see you, Appo. And the good Admiral would have had a struggle on his hands to convince me to do anything _else_." 

He needed to help his brother, needed to know what Sidious had _done_ to his beloved padawan without his ever realizing, needed to do something that wasn't killing... 

"Our Admiral's a smart one, sir," Appo praised. "This way." He took Obi-Wan across to the Naboo ship, where two soldiers were on duty at the base of the ramp, guarding and ready to run errands for their Senator. They saluted Obi-Wan smartly, letting him pass, while Appo turned off there. There was something in Appo's presence that suggested a surprise ahead, but Obi-Wan was uncertain what it could be.

The sound that immediately struck Obi-Wan was a soft lullaby being sung in Basic, but with a few Gungan phrasings thrown in, as if Padmé were trying to translate the song to show both Naboo heritages. He could follow it, though, into the cabin where she was, where Anakin was unconscious, and where a double-sized bassinet made from an ordnance crate had been decorated in spectacularly soft art meant for children.

The woman in question turned at the quiet sound of his step, and pure relief flashed across her face and resonated in her presence as a radiant -- if exhausted -- smile curved her lips in the next moment. 

"Obi-Wan," she called out, her voice quiet and still just as relieved as she appeared to be. "I'm so glad it's you. So glad you're here. He needs you." 

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, accepted that there was a blinding Force presence in that ordinance crate, and came closer to where his padawan was laid out on the bed. "Hello, dear one. A bit of a surprise to see you quite like this, but I am relieved to know you are well. Bail sends his regards, by the way." He could investigate the infant later; Anakin came first.

She smiled again, a much sadder expression, as she moved away from the bassinet to move to his side -- Anakin's side, really. "Bail is wonderful, and I hope he'll eventually forgive me for disappearing when he probably needed me. 

"I wanted Anakin to talk to you, even bring you to talk to me, before you left for Utapau," she said quietly, her mouth tightening a little. "He -- wouldn't hear of it, wouldn't listen to me. He was so afraid..." 

Obi-Wan drew in a deep breath, then nodded curtly. "Bail… and Chandrilia's Senator… were both of a mind that you had specific reasons without going into detail." He sat on the edge of the bed, hip touching Anakin's waist, and reached a hand up rest on his padawan's cheek. "Anakin," he said softly, while pushing at the bond now that he had touch to solidify it more. "Padmé, it might be best to take your child elsewhere for the duration, as strong as that Force presence is."

"So I did," she agreed, before amusement showed itself in the corners of her mouth and she shook her head. "Not child," she replied to his last words, watching him, thoughts obviously running quick behind her dark eyes, "children. Fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. ...are they, really? Strong in the Force, I mean?" 

"Children? Well, Anakin's involved; it was bound to be a bit extra in the effort," he said with fondness, refusing to give into any emotional storm. "And either one is and blanketing the other, or they both are and completely unified in it. As I feel one presence that is nearly the equal to Anakin's presence." He could feel Anakin was there, but trapped by something horrible. He needed to get to the root of whatever that was. "This may get violent in the Force. I'd suggest asking the men to take you and them to his quarters; they should have the shielding in them because of Ahsoka."

Masters and Padawans had to have some help keeping to themselves, after all, when the bond was whole and shared fully.

Padmé nodded, accepting the suggestion, before she cast him a long, sharp look. "He was having visions of my death bearing them, Obi-Wan. They began almost as soon as he saw me again, and he was... so desperate not to lose me. 'I won't fail this time', he said, more than once. I'll take them away now, but you needed to know that, before you start... whatever it is that you'll do, to bring him back to us." 

Obi-Wan nodded. "I will make certain that he knows they, and you, are quite safe as quickly as I can reach his mind, Padmé. It will not be easy, is likely to disturb the Force greatly, and I will not allow harm to come to his children because I failed to take such a precaution." 

She nodded and turned away, slipping a sling around her body and ducking to lift out two tiny infants, smoothly tucking them into it. She looked back at him, her hands resting under the children -- Anakin had children, sweet Force preserve them -- as she smiled again. "Obi-Wan, I never thought you would." 

"I'm glad one of you has that faith in me," Obi-Wan said softly enough not to let her hear as she left them. He could then concentrate on throwing himself into the Force, into his bond with Anakin, always so strong when combat was at hand… and this was a fight for them both.

+++

Waking up was like trying to swim through half-set mortar. Unconsciousness tried to drag him down again, but Anakin knew he had to. He had to wake, he had people to take care of, things he had to do... had his Master to reassure. He forced his eyes open, looked, and rolled -- feeling as though his entire body was numb -- and grabbed hold of his Master and brother, clinging on tight. 

Obi-Wan did not protest; his own hands locked in Anakin's tunic as fiercely, and Anakin felt the shudder that went through the man keenly.

"Safe now," was the soft, yet hoarse, phrase to reach his ears.

Anakin clung on desperately, twisting to get into tighter contact with Obi-Wan, shaking at his Master's grip. _His_ Master, his real Master, beloved best friend and teacher, here and real and safe, accepting him despite everything he'd set in motion, loving him more than he'd imagined his Master would ever let himself. 

"Yes," he answered, his voice rough. His Master was safe, they both were, it would somehow work out, it... "I'm so sorry, Master." 

"Shh." Obi-Wan dragged his face out of Anakin's throat and hair to see him. "I didn't keep you safe. I failed you repeatedly, making his work easier. And it is over, with us to move on, together, and forge a new path. One that keeps you, your lady, and your infants safe."

Anakin nodded, sharp jerky motion, before he burrowed back into his Master's embrace. They'd discussed this, somewhat, when his Master had finally reached him inside the prison his own mind and snapped darkside bond had become, but it... some things he just had to say aloud to make them real. He'd apologized, his Master said they were going to stay together, and that... he could let that be enough. 

"...twins? Really?" he asked, his head still buried back against his Master's throat. "I can't believe I missed the birth, Padmé's got to want to kill me." 

After all his fear, all his visions, everything he'd unwittingly set in motion in his desperate need to protect her from becoming another woman he loved and failed to save... he'd been _comatose_ when she went into labor. 

"Well, she managed, as ever, without us poor frail men," Obi-Wan said, managing to pull a little humor into his voice. "I made her take them to your quarters, to shield against the Force between us."

Anakin managed to chuckle at that, at the sound of Obi-Wan's wry humor showing, and nodded. "Probably good. What we just went through couldn't have been good for them. I -- if they're as strong as you showed me, why couldn't I feel them before?" 

He paused a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. I can guess, and I don't want to think about it. I... _Force_ , Master, what are we going to do?! I don't have the first clue how to be a father, we weren't even thinking about kids, I don't know what the Force was up to but it -- " 

"Anakin." Obi-Wan's voice was calm now, as his hand petted down Anakin's side. "Let it go. We are together. Skywalker-and-Kenobi never fail, remember? And I hear our padawan is excellent with younglings; we'll just have to bat our eyelashes at her."

Anakin heard the way his voice had been raising only when his Master spoke that calmly, the tone steadying and soothing... and for the first time in a long time, it was easy to _let_ his Master soothe him, to be reassured by him. He took a slow breath, then another, and nodded. "...kriff, _Snips_. I -- I know she was okay, she told me she was safe, hiding, but I haven't been able to reach for her in days, have you heard anything?" 

Obi-Wan shook his head, then sighed. "To be honest, communications with most Jedi are out. We're having to be careful with the Admirals we communicate to, given the military insurrection by several, and the solution from Yularen's medics is slow going," he explained.

"Yeah, I heard," Anakin agreed, well aware that several of those admirals were men that he had been encouraged to befriend and admire. He couldn't convince himself to let go of his Master, not yet, but he did try to ease the grip some. He closed his eyes to assess where he was, now that he was conscious and it didn't feel quite so awful any more, and frowned. 

"...I could try, and then I'd be out again. Which would annoy you, and Padmé, and keep me from seeing my children," saying those words made it even more real, and his breath skipped again, heart hammering for a moment, "for who knows how long this time. I'm just going to have to trust her to get in touch." 

"If we're very lucky, she'll find us. If we're not, she will have found Hondo again, and strong-armed him into helping her, and she'll find us anyway," Obi-Wan offered before encouraging Anakin to sit up by beginning to move.

"I can't **believe** you just mentioned that menace," Anakin complained, lifting his head enough to glare at his Master, before the 'okay, move now' shifts reached the point of ridiculous. He grumbled wordlessly as he opened his arms enough to let both of them get to sitting upright... and promptly dragged his Master back to him. 

"Ana~kin," Obi-Wan protested, but he wrapped his arms around the younger man at Anakin's invasion. "At least comm for your lady to bring the babies to you? I think their presence will go a long way to soothing out the raw feeling you still have. And she is always good for you."

Knowing that that tone was affection and not frustration made it much easier to deal with, and Anakin nodded, breathing for a few moments and leaning against him. "In just a minute. Though what I probably _ought_ to do is take the long route to my quarters and let everyone see I'm actually back on my feet and not half-insane. 

"I know they've been worried -- it's been hard to miss." The feeling of worried _vod'e_ was well-known, after all, as often as he and Obi-Wan got hurt. And when they couldn't or didn't know how to help, it intensified. 

"Alright then. A good idea; she shouldn't be living on her ship anyway. No reason why I can't get her back in touch with Bail to help advise him, either; it would help her sanity in the face of everything." Obi-Wan brushed a kiss over Anakin's forehead, a reassurance in their bond.

Anakin leaned into that, reassured by his Master's steady presence in the bond between them, by the gentle physical contact he needed so badly. A worry struck him, and he shifted to find his Master's eyes. How Obi-Wan had been there to kill Palpatine had not been something they focused on in the attempt to drag him back to himself, but now he wanted to know what to tell Appo and the others. "Did... are Cody and...?" 

"Cody missed. Much as Bly was able to overwhelm the compulsion and use stun, by the report Aayla managed to get to her admiral," Obi-Wan said, and Anakin could feel that he had to believe Cody had missed on purpose or he'd come apart.

Anakin had no doubt whatsoever that he had, he knew Cody's devotion to Obi-Wan, and could not believe anything else. There was no way Cody hadn't missed deliberately. "Oh, thank Force, he'll -- they'll -- be all right once we get to them and manage to apply the fix," he breathed, hugging his Master again. 

"That is my hope," Obi-Wan said softly. "Otherwise, I'd have to suggest he spend more time calculating cannon trajectory."

Anakin snorted and swatted him lightly on the bit of cloth immediately under his hand, chiding, before he slowly started to actually release him. "Don't be ridiculous. They've got great aim. They just didn't want to hit you. And they _will_ be okay. 

"My boys will latch on to every one of yours until they are, if it's bad... but they'll be okay. He'll be okay." 

"I know. I'm thinking we will need to double up units to help one another, as we pull the pieces back together." Obi-Wan nodded. "We will save them from their fears."

"Yeah," Anakin agreed, and took a breath. "Which... right now means letting my men see you and I together and stable, since I'm sure everyone knows you're aboard." 

He made himself actually let go and get to his feet, though he reached for his Master with his left hand as soon as he was up. Let the men see him, tell Appo Obi-Wan hadn't had to kill any of the brothers to escape, and then... then see his children. His children, sweet Force how was he going to be a father? 

"Relax, Anakin." Obi-Wan slid his hand to the small of his best friend's back. "Now, let's go see your men, and onward, to our family."

'Our family'. Anakin could listen to his Master say _those_ two words all day, or all week for that matter. Their family, yeah. 

Now if only Snips and Rex would get themselves here. And they had to get Cody back, before everything would really be all right... but it was closer, now. 

"So, you up for going the next system over and acquiring the Separatist Council, once I can drag myself away from my kids?" 

"I would be delighted to assist with that, Anakin." Obi-Wan gave him a smile before straightening his robe. "A little light exercise in persuasion, I think, punctuated by how frail their future looks with no Sith to protect them."

Anakin nodded, "Glad you're here for that," he admitted, and headed out of Padmé's ship -- pausing to grab the ordnance crate crib with the Force and bring it along -- to go reassure his people and his wife.


	4. Chapter 4

Anakin's arms felt empty, with his twins not in them anymore (they were the most amazing things in the galaxy, tiny and perfect and radiating love up at him) but he and Obi-Wan did have work to do. Work that would need him, and the information the Chan -- Palpa -- Darth Sidious had given him. Padmé hadn't seemed to be upset at that he'd missed their birth. She'd just hugged him rib-creakingly tight and stared up into his eyes, before nodding to herself and murmuring a soft, "Welcome back, my husband." 

He'd kissed her, rejoicing in the ability to do so in front of Obi-Wan and not be at all afraid, held on for a while, and then dragged himself away. He walked onto the bridge, Obi-Wan at his side, to a relieved cheer from his men, and blinked in surprise as Artoo suddenly rolled towards him, beeping in apparently equal relief. 

"Hey, buddy," he said, though that Artoo was on the bridge did make him blink, "it's good to -- wait, _what_?" 

[Snips on way, with Captain,] Artoo repeated, and Anakin's breath shook for a moment. [I told where to come. Here soon.] 

"It seems Artoo has stayed busy," Obi-Wan said, nodding politely to Yularen.

"Indeed he has, Master Kenobi," the Admiral said. "Your astromech, Skywalker, has a penchant for sabotage and counterintelligence maneuvers. He has been using the droid'net to carefully, quietly, throw a wrench in the works of all ships answering to Tarkin, while managing communications with the various Jedi-deployed astromechs to try and guide the various generals and commanders to safe ports." He made a gesture toward a small nook on the bridge, where a charge pad had been recently installed.

"That's Artoo for you," Anakin agreed, his hand running over Artoo's dome, achingly, profoundly grateful and relieved. "Nice job, buddy. In case anyone didn't catch it, Ahsoka's on her way in." 

She was still okay, really still okay, and she'd be here soon... thank the Force and one stubborn astromech. 

To his complete lack of surprise, a surge of relief that nearly matched his flared from every _vod_ in earshot, and even Yularen smiled with pleasure that reached his eyes. The admiral glanced at Artoo and said, "You could have told me that, you know." 

[Could,] Artoo agreed, and didn't say any more. Anakin eyed him, wondering what exactly he was thinking being that cagey with Yularen, then shrugged and let it go at least for now. 

"Ahsoka might have told him not to, Admiral. So, while we wait, let's figure out how we're cracking Mustafar." 

"I say let me go in and offer the negotiation option," Obi-Wan said. "As much as many systems will want them to face trial, or worse, I do believe we would best be served by getting an honest surrender with concessions if possible."

"The Republic would never accept it," Yularen stated.

"Admiral, I'm not certain they can afford not to, while the Army and Fleet both are divided," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"You have a point, Master," Anakin agreed. "The system's been incredibly heavily fortified, though, and that worries me. Even the security codes I was given might not work this many days later, and if they don't..." 

He wasn't willing to risk his Master's life and safety on something so flimsy. "Jump in on the periphery and try broadcasting down?" 

"If we do that, we will have an all-out fight, if they refuse," Obi-Wan said, stroking his beard. "But, if you think the men are up for that, should they be idiots, I think it best."

Anakin flicked a sharp smile at him, amused at the questioning note in his Master's voice. The 501st had been aching for a fight even before he went unconscious, and with as long as he'd been out... "They've had time to rest, and they need something to do -- you know how they get -- so yeah. They're up for it, and then some." 

"Well, alright then." Obi-Wan wouldn't admit it, but Anakin could see it wasn't going to hurt his feelings for this to go to a fight. 

+++

Breathing, Ahsoka remembered, was not an optional event. As the Mandalorian ship they had stolen maneuvered to dock inside the _Resolute_ , she kept her breathing at the controlled rate that was best for harnessing her emotions. She had survived, Rex was with her, and they had not killed a single brother to escape.

The Death Watch was lighter by several members, but that was the whole reason they'd been on Mandalore anyway.

She felt the ship settle fully, and powered it down, before standing from the pilot's seat, hand going out almost instinctively to touch Rex's arm for one more layer of reassurance. She was aware Artoo had said everyone aboard was safe, and she needed to see her Master, but that didn't make it any easier on the gut level.

"Ready?"

Beside her, Rex nodded, and pushed up against her hand, and to her senses he felt entirely steady, even relieved... but the _Resolute_ was still home, for him. "Of course, sir." 

Outside, out the viewscreen, Ahsoka saw movement, men of the 501st moving at speed, headed to the ramp of the ship. And she could feel, coming fast, her Master, too. 

She closed her eyes, found the balance within, and then moved to exit the ship, forcing her hands to stay clear of her lightsabers or the pair of deeces. These were her brothers, and they were all free of the awfulness that had taken over her men on Mandalore. 

She stepped clear of the ramp, eyes taking in familiar paint as her Force sense reached out and touched each of the men, savoring their unique and individual presences. The last tension melted away, and she could smile at them, settling into her skin. 

"Good to see ya, boys!" No, she would not feel guilt over having had to leave her men behind.

"And you, **Sir**!" a score of voices answered her instantly, strong and loud, but not the roar they could have produced, and she knew that was only because they knew her senses, and radiant joy pulsed through the Force to her. Joc, the chief of the bay, reached out for the side of her shoulder to grasp her, hand quick and gentle. 

"Sir," he greeted her, relief ringing in his voice, "welcome back. The General said you were alright, so we knew you were, but it -- seeing you's different. And you've brought the Ca -- sorry, sir! -- Commander back, as well!" 

Rex snorted; Ahsoka knew he was still adjusting to the rank, much as she was only a General on the flimsy say-so of Master Kenobi, for dealing with Bo-Katan.

""Everybody, ease off, alright?" she called to them. "I'm glad to be… home. And really hope we can go back and get the rest of your brothers soon." It was home, she realized. That aching emptiness had been easing off ever since she rejoined the men on Mandalore.

"Anyone figured out a solid mass fix for that kriffing piece of hardware?" Rex asked, and if she had to bet, he was scanning for any of the medics, looking for an answer. 

Joc and three of the others shook their heads, and Joc spoke. "No, sir. The medics had to knock us out and do surgery for us, squad or two at a time. The General's been working on a more technical fix, but there's nobody left with one in, so nobody's sure." 

"Well, we have a half unit back on Mandalore that just volunteered then," Rex growled. "As soon as we can go after them."

"Easy, Rexter. We'll get them cared for." Ahsoka opened her mouth to say something else, and then stopped, her eyes going to the bay entrance in time to see Anakin striding in. He looked thinner than even when he'd left her on Mandalore, and there were still signs of how bad this had been on him, but she could see a tiny bit of peace too.

His eyes lit with joy and relief, the blue brightening, and he crossed the bay between them in a fairly indecorous rush -- and he didn't stop until he was right at her and she was wrapped in his arms, almost taken off her feet with the strength of his embrace. He breathed, "Snips," against her montral, and it was pretty obvious he wasn't planning on letting go. 

"Hello to you too, Skyguy," Ahsoka said with warmth and love in her voice, pushing into that hold and getting her arms around him. She studiously ignored the muffled "awwww" from one of the men, and just wrapped into the sense of Anakin right there, safe and mostly sound. "Gotta admit. Pretty miffed to have my brilliant plan broken by Sithliness. So, do you have something for me to wreck to make up for that?"

She kept her voice light and easy, but she let him feel her underlying worry over all of their men.

"That sorta depends on how stupid the Separatist Council decides to be when we jump a system over to have a chat," he answered, his mental presence wrapping around hers. Relief and joy and an open love she'd never known her Master to display rippled along the bond, barely constrained at all, and he held her a little tighter. "We're gonna let Master Obi-Wan try talking them out of trying to fight, but if they won't listen... well. 

"If they _do_ , on the other hand... I think I've got a couple introductions to make that might help soothe your temper down." Mischief now sang along the bond between them, and it danced in his eyes. 

Oddly, a profound amusement flickered through the men still standing in a tight group around them, almost equal to her Master's amusement. 

She laughed, fiercely and strong, before squeezing him even tighter, burying her face in his neck to just exult in being back with him. She didn't care what the Jedi Order said; no one was taking her away from him, from Rex, from her men. This was where she belonged.

"I'm back, you're here, and we will take care of all the rest!"

"You've got that right, Ahsoka," Anakin agreed, holding her tight, his cheek settled against the space between her montrals, and his joy echoed hers, rippling back and forth through the bond between them, through the grip they had on each other. "Joc, let the Admiral know we can go ahead on his mark. Let's get this part done so we can go put our _aliit_ back together." 

"Yes sir!"

Joc went to handle that, flicking his hands at the others to disperse them. Ahsoka smiled at that, having just caught it from the edge of her sight. She basked in his care a long moment more, then pulled back.

"I think Rexter's feeling left out, Skyguy," she teased.

"Hardly. It's too good to see you back where you belong," Rex rebutted. 

Anakin looked down at her, still holding her in close, and said, "He's been with me the last few months, bad as they've been... but you have got a point past the ones on your montrals." 

He hugged her again, as though he was afraid she was going to disappear if he let go, then slowly released her and took a step towards Rex, reaching straight for his shoulder. "So damned glad to see you, Rex." 

Rex reached for his shoulder as well, hand gripping firmly. "I owe you an apology, first, sir." He drew in a deep breath. "I thought I'd have time to warn you, you see?"

Ahsoka moved closer to Rex's side at that, knowing it had been eating at him, lending her support for this difficult moment.

Anakin, though, shook his head, and brought his other hand up to wrap around Rex's wrist gently. "No, Rex. Don't. The Ch -- Sidious," his lip curved in a momentary snarl, "made me forget that I'd been with you when -- when we lost Fives. Made me forget almost everything about Tup. I wouldn't have understood... and I might have hurt you. 

"Don't apologize, okay? It _is not_ your fault. None of it." 

"If you say so, sir," Rex said, and Ahsoka settled back from her protective, supportive pose. She then slid in-between the two men after their greeting, sliding an arm around each man's waist. 

"Let's go ahead and go talk about what we need to know in comfort, Master," she said. "My boots are killing me."

"If you'd stop outgrowing them so fast," Rex joked at her, helping keep the tension level down.

"I say so, Rex." Anakin said, in the stubborn stubborn tone she'd dreaded hearing sometimes, then nodded at her, his arm settling around her in return. "Yeah -- it's a short hop, we won't have long, but we can hit the high points. Since neither of you were surprised, I'm assuming Artoo told you Master Obi-Wan was here?" 

"Yep. Told us mostly to reassure Rexter here that it was safe for me to show my face," Ahsoka bluffed.

"Hardly the reason. I seem to recall something about 'who is taking care of Skyguy'," Rex retaliated, managing a fair mimicry of her voice.

Her Master snorted, shaking his head slightly as he squeezed her side, his affection washing down the bond to her again. "Yeah... I needed it. Once we're done here, we've got to jump over to Utapau to get the 212th back into their right minds before we head up to Mandalore -- Rex, Cody's _fine_ , they'd had some losses in the fight before that filth went live, but nobody got hurt while my Master escaped. 

"Yularen's been in contact with the _Negotiator_ ; they're all sitting tight, waiting. Not that they know what for, but... it'll be okay." 

"I never doubted, sir," Rex said, and Ahsoka knew he meant it. Then again, they had managed to dodge everything without killing their own as well. "And we probably are going to need them. Unless Katan has managed to prove to be a better strategist than I was seeing, our men are probably bunkered down and under siege." They could and would hold out strong, unless things went spectacularly haywire, Ahsoka knew.

"Last order Rex relayed out was to go to ground, and take orders from the Nite Owls," she told Anakin. "It was the best we could do, when they started reacting to my lightsabers."

Skyguy nodded beside her, and she could feel him relaxing a little more. "That's all anyone could have done," he agreed, "and I'm -- well, not exactly 'pleased' to hear it, but they'll hold out. There's a reason I left veteran officers with you, after all." 

Ahsoka then grinned at him. "I know it's not the _Twilight_ , but did you like the ship we brought home?" The _Kom'rk_ -class ship had been a pretty decent ride here, actually, and she could just envision reworking it alongside Anakin.

"We only had to deal with a full squad of Death Watch to take it from them," Rex said idly.

"It looked pretty decent," Anakin replied, only a little grudgingly, "and that shouldn't have been much of a problem for _you_ two..." 

"Well, no," Rex said. "I mean, Ahsoka's an old hand at handling that lot." 

Ahsoka's lekku twitched, recalling that desperate battle that had made her a legend on both sides of the conflict. "So, you said something about introductions?" she asked, to change that subject.

He shook his head at her! "No, not yet... not when we might have to go straight into combat -- and don't go asking the men, either. As soon as we've got Mustafar dealt with, _then_ we'll deal with that." 

"Alright," Ahsoka said, giving up on that tack. She had no idea what he was up to, but she could be patient.

Mostly.

+++

"I will. NOT. Lay here passively a single more moment! I respect you as a healer, Lia, and as a friend, but I am more than old enough to know my limitations and work within them now!" 

Wolffe was one of the few who had seen evidence of Plo Koon's temper. He could tell, despite the firm voice and stubborn set to the tusks that his _jetii_ was not so much in one as entirely too frustrated by the immobility and confinement.

"Honored Sage," Lia began, and Wolffe carefully kept his presence blank inside his armor; he had learned that using that title tended to remind Plo Koon of his responsibilities to his people.

"Do not. I am aware I am a keeper of Lore and Legend here, Lia, my dear friend. However, I have many children at risk in the larger galaxy, and cannot remain now that my body is stronger. I accept that I should, save for dire emergency, refrain from mind contact above that of simple communication with my own people."

Wolffe watched silently, but he would do his best to be sure that his _buir_ did in fact hold himself to that. He did not want to think about any kind of permanent damage that could result -- he had enough of that for both of them, already -- if he did not. 

The healer looked displeased, but resignation showed in her face and the set of her tusks, and Wolffe was relieved. Arguing with his _buir_ when he was that stubbornly resolved seldom ended well. "I cannot make you stay," she said, her tone making it rather plain that she would like to, "so, so be it. **Do** be careful, my dear one." 

Plo moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, which encouraged her to tip her forehead down on his as she had just a small fraction of height over him. "My sons have a saying, Lia. Today is a good day for some other to die, and I find in these violent times, it is a good philosophy. I must live, to see them to safety. Therefore, I will be careful."

Wolffe smiled to hear him use their saying, and agreed entirely with his words, as well. He didn't know what the situation was outside -- he hadn't had any will to find out what was going on in the galaxy at large while his General lay so wounded -- but they would find out now. 

Lia flexed her tusks, squeezed lightly, then let go of him. "I pray the winds take your sons to safety. The engineering project is moving along swiftly, for when you have need of their refuge," she relented to say at last.

Wolffe bit into his tongue, not certain that there would ever be need of it, with what his brothers had done... but then, he had to hope that they would find some way to get them back, too. 

"I am honored by our people listening to my request, Lia. I wish you quiet breezes in my absence this time." Plo bowed slightly to her, and then turned to Wolffe. " _Ad_ , lead us back to our ship, so we can begin making sense of your brothers' actions, and find a way to aid them."

Wolffe nodded and moved close to him, close enough to be a support if he was needed, and led him back up towards the ship the clan -- their clan, he reminded himself -- had helped him hide. His General's confidence that they would bolstered him, made it a little easier to believe. 

"She worries about you," he said, soft, once they were in a different passage entirely. 

"Our clan in general does that, but yes, she does," his General agreed, and the set of his tusks said he was thinking fondly of Lia and her healing abilities. Lia was not genetic kin to him, but had been a companion to Plo on many visits to Dorin, and held her place within the complicated clan ties he kept. "She will help your brothers, as well, if it comes to that." He rested a hand lightly on Wolffe's armor as they moved, and the Commander knew it was to help blanket the hole where the mind touch had been dampened on purpose.

Wolffe shifted into the touch, more than willing to be steadied by that contact, and he nodded at the reassurance about his brothers. "I haven't turned comms on since we brought you down here, and I left the astromech shut down. I don't know what we're going to find, sir." 

"I understand, Wolffe. We will learn together, and proceed accordingly," Plo promised.

The ship was undisturbed from Wolffe's last return to exchange air, at least from outside where Plo took a final, deep breath of the Dorin atmosphere. Wolffe watched as he then pulled the new mask and goggles on -- they were gifts from the extended clan, with better efficiency at protecting him from the poisons he had to endure as an off-world explorer and Jedi. They passed through the airlock, allowing Wolffe to remove his bucket, which seemed to immediately invite the light rasp of Plo's talons over his scalp in reassurance.

"Bring up the astromech first," Plo said, playing on a small hunch or shove from the Force.

"...alright, _buir_ ," Wolffe agreed, and moved to reactivate the little droid, casting it a faintly wary look as he did. It wasn't his General's own astromech, just the one that had been with the Interceptor, and that made it questionable, given his brothers' behavior. He watched as its lights cycled, and it swiveled its holoprojector as the photoreceptor flickered. It made puzzled noises, then a sharply exasperated note, and the processor indicator went red as lights indicating data assimilation flashed along its chassis. 

"It seems the little one has received a message," Plo said in a kindly voice. "Let us hope it is good." He settled into one of the seats, rather than tax himself by standing, showing Wolffe he was taking his pledge seriously.

Wolffe was pleased to see that care with himself, and he stayed close to him while the droid continued working on what was obviously quite a bit of data, from how long it whirred and clicked and the red flickered yellow and back to red. It finally went blue, and the astromech made a satisfied noise and rolled to bump, very gently, against one of his _buir_ 's feet. [Should I tell R2-D2 you are functional? He asked all astromechs to say if their Jedi is safe. Sent new encryption protocol for reply.] 

"Thank the Force. If R2-D2 is reaching out, that likely means Skywalker is safe," Plo said. "However, before you reply, is there anything to explain why the Jedi were unsafe to begin with, and how extensive were the attacks?" Droids could be reprogrammed, and Jedi had fallen to subversion in the past; that the astromech had asked spoke well, but Plo had survived for too long to be caught off guard, Wolffe knew. He appreciated that his general was playing canny.

The astromech beeped agreement. [R2-D2 reports that 'the _vod'e_ were subject to Sith brainwashing' -- brainwashing, what is? -- 'that was activated throughout the GAR. Many are lost. Coruscant is statistically likely to be unsafe.']

Plo's use of a strong Dorin profanity, that Wolffe did not fully understand other than it involved whirlwinds and orifices, was rather startling, but appropriate. "R3, send confirmation I live, that my Commander is immune to this brainwashing -- which is a secondary programming that subverts the processor -- and request coordinates to rendezvous."

So that was this astromech's designation. R3 gave an accepting beep, then a very disgusted buzz, as his General spoke, and then rolled backwards and turned to hook into the ship's comm array. [Easier, with ship to boost,] it explained, and then fell silent, only the lights indicating that the little droid was hard at work. 

A long while later, it disconnected again and turned towards them. [R2-D2 reports that he is very pleased to hear that you function. Also reports that his Jedi are 'not surprised about Wolffe, we'll explain when you get to us', and to go to Mandalore -- though you may beat them there. Bo-Katan is an ally, R2-D2 says.]

"Mandalore." Plo had to wrap his hand around Wolffe's wrist to steady, if Wolffe was reading the flare of the tusks correctly. "They had recalled Ahsoka to duty there," Plo said by way of explanation for that sudden grip. "It was in Kenobi's mission briefing before the Coruscant Emergency happened."

"If Skywalker's R2 said 'we'," Wolffe replied, hand closing over his _buir_ 's gently, soothing as much as he could -- he knew how much his General regretted events with Tano, and so did he. Things had gone so badly, and then the 501st had lost her completely -- "then there's a good chance she's all right, _buir_."

"I shall have faith that is correct, Wolffe. And hope that this time, I am allowed to tender my apologies." He moved then to begin the power up cycle… after doing a couple of minor adjustments to the hardware near his controls, Wolffe noted. "Let us see just how quickly I can get us there; I find my patience is lacking."

Wolffe moved to sit where he could help, grateful that he wasn't the one that was going to have to set that course. As to the impatient, though... "You're not the only one, sir. I want to know how just a voice command could have activated some Sith scheme in my brothers... and why _they're_ not surprised it didn't get me, too." 

The horror of that thought, that he, too, could have been turned on his _buir_ , wasn't actually new -- he'd had too many hours just to think, waiting for him to wake up -- but every time, it felt like the first time, and he held that behind his shields so that it couldn't hurt his _buir_ with it. 

But why _weren't_ they surprised? 

"I am only relieved and grateful, my first son, that you were not affected at this point." Plo reached over to grip Wolffe's arm briefly, then saw to getting them into space, and moving toward answers.

++++

The 212th had been pulled back to the _Negotiator_ , a fact that let Anakin test his full solution to the problem of the chip at once. Artoo used his skill and clearances to hack the vessel's comms, and on a given signal, broadcast the override through the ship and into the armor. Obi-Wan, wearing borrowed 501st armor, and Rex were the first to board, making their way past collapsed soldiers swiftly to reach the bridge.

The 501st, fresh from a decided rout at Mustafar, tackled other airlocks, and moved to get their brothers both under control and reassured, on guard for any that had not been exposed to the override signal.

As much as Rex itched to get Cody into his own arms, he had to be content with dealing with Obi-Wan's Admiral, as the Jedi had abandoned decorum and vaulted over three bridge staff to get to the fallen Clone Marshal. Kneeling there, hands out of gloves so that he could touch the man's face, Obi-Wan was all but proclaiming his attachment to the man that had barely managed to avoid killing him.

"Cody?"

Rex wanted to yell at the Jedi for speaking; the bucket wasn't hiding his voice after all, but Cody's response was perfectly safe.

"Obi-Wan," Cody breathed, lunging up to hold on for dear life, forgetting their public location.

The Jedi did not protest, moving to settle on the decking, holding Cody close to him. "Cyare," the elder man said, and Rex decided that maybe, just maybe, some Jedi _were_ capable of learning what was truly important in life.

++++

Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Bo-Katan stood on a slight rise, looking down on the wasted ruins of what had been a promising city once. Bo's body was tight with pain and anger, leading Ahsoka to lightly rest her fingers on the woman's forearm. 

"Maul got away in the chaos, but we have, mostly, captured the leaders, thanks to Rex's orders for the 332nd to obey us," Bo said, unconsciously covering the hand of the young fighter she had learned to respect.

"I am sorry I had to retreat, Bo."

The Nite Owl and heiress presumptive to Mandalore's leadership snorted and looked at Ahsoka fully. "Putting your skin ahead of the situation that I let happen doesn't require apologies. We've rebuilt before; we'll do it again."

"Bo -- "

"Shut-up, Kenobi. I don't have time for your Jedi guilt." The woman let go of Ahsoka's hand and turned to face him. "I am grateful for the aid you brought. I grieve with you for the loss of my sister. Now take your men, and leave Mandalore to me. We will rise; we always do."

Skywalker watched her for a moment, something unreadable in his eyes, before he smiled at her for just a breath. It was tight, but honest, and he dipped his head towards her. "Force be with you, Bo-Katan. We've got to wait for one of our allies to reach us, but that shouldn't be long. We will go ahead and pull back to the ships, though." 

Bo gave him a tight nod, then reached out and ran a gloved hand down Ahsoka's face. "Stay alive, little sister. You will go far with that heart of yours if you just temper your recklessness a little."

Ahsoka nodded. "Working on it." She moved from them, bouncing down to call orders out to her men.

The Mandalorian then looked at both men. "May your Force keep you strong." She turned and left them then, to begin the harder part of saving her people.

She still heard Obi-Wan's words, though.

"May your ancestors watch over you, Bo."


	5. Chapter 5

There were few things worse than not being able to reach out with his mind, on a personal level, but Plo was ranking the fact he did not know what was happening to his men as categorically 'worst'.

Fortunately, Wolffe was being understanding of his need to replace the mind touch with a hand on shoulder, or, as now, standing so that he and Wolffe were shoulder-to-shoulder at the base of their ship ramp. The men nearby all seemed to be caught in strong emotion, but it was not, so far as Plo could tell without his full senses, hostile.

Other than Wolffe, he amended to himself. His poor Commander was visibly on edge and fighting the need to be in front of his General as they saw the welcoming committee approaching.

Skywalker was striding towards him, steps swifter than normal, but even without reaching out, Plo was sure it was relief driving his speed, brightening his eyes. He felt oddly touched by that, the idea that his welfare would matter half that much to this particular young man. It was not as though he had not played a part in the loss of -- 

\-- she **was** there. Ahsoka was behind Skywalker, off to his side, and coming more slowly, her lekku tentative and tense all at once. But she was there. She lived. 

And on Skywalker's other side, moving at a pace to match his General's, was Captain -- no, Commander -- Rex. His _buy'ce_ was off, showing that a portion of his hair was shaved away, above his right temple, and a freshly-healed incision stood red against his skin, and his eyes were fixed intently on no-one but his Wolffe, who was still almost vibrating at his side. 

Skywalker only drew to a stop a bare pace from him, eyes searching over him as he spoke. "Master Plo, you don't know how good it is to see you. You too, Wolffe. Can we all agree to stuff formality out the airlock?" 

Plo had to chuckle at that before he reached out and grasped the young man's shoulder. "I believe formality is overrated at the moment. It is very good to see you, all of you." His eyes flicked over them each, but came to linger on Ahsoka. "Koh-to-yah, Ahsoka," he said in a soft voice that he hoped conveyed both his relief and his shame in his part of proceedings against her.

He knew Wolffe's tensions were increased by the greeting, knew his first son was concerned over how the girl would react in turn, while balancing safety and worry both about the men.

Her eyes lifted to his face, and he felt the weight of her regard for several long, long moments before she moved up beside Skywalker and reached out her hand for his other one. "Koh-to-yah, my Finder," she answered him, and her hand held on tight. "I'm so glad you're okay." 

Beside them, Rex had left Skywalker's side to move to Wolffe, and had one glove wrapped so hard around the armor over his son's shoulder that Plo could hear the faint creak in it. His voice was low, obviously intended to not disturb the other conversation going on, but Plo could easily hear anyway. "Easy, _vod_ , _udesii_ , now. Your _jetii_ is as safe with my command as he is with you." 

Plo was glad for Rex in that moment, more than ever before, as he glanced over and saw Wolffe ratchet the anxiety down a few notches. The order to 'calm down' coming from another officer that lived for the Jedi as hard as Wolffe himself did had helped. He then refocused on Skywalker, who had brought his hand up to return the traditional greeting of their men. 

"We are sorely in need of more knowledge of what has happened since… since that day." Plo shied away from giving the horror any of the names that came to mind. Losing his friends, having his men turn, Wolffe having to save him… none of those events should be what they knew the day as. 

"I want answers on why, and how I can turn my brothers back," Wolffe growled, but he clasped Rex's shoulders hard, and moved close enough to bring his forehead into contact with Rex's. Plo felt pride in his Commander all over again for allowing himself to show that much affection in open quarters.

Skywalker nodded to both of them. "We know. Obi-Wan would be here too, but an entire squad out of Ghost Company came awake flashbacking this morning, so he's over with them, reminding them he's alive and safe. Everybody here knows most of the story, but none of mine really want to hear it again. So let's go settle in the pilot's briefing room, and between us we'll fill you in." 

Rex let go after just another second, but he stayed with almost his entire left arm against Wolffe's right once he'd moved to follow the instruction. Ahsoka had tucked herself on her -- no, master did not fit — at Skywalker's other side, leaving the two of them in the center as they headed off. 

Plo nodded to the men they passed, but was just as relieved to get into the briefing room. He didn't even need to be glared at by Wolffe to take a seat, though he wished to remind his son that it was his mind, not his body, still healing. Wolffe moved his seat enough so that his knee was in contact with Plo's, and Plo had to spare him a fond glance for that, his tusks twitching slightly. 

"Wolffe took me straight from Cato Neimoidia, where I had made a rapid landing due to… psychic trauma, we shall say, to Dorin. I was largely out of consciousness through most of recent events. I have faith in my men to have conducted the campaign in our absence, even with the aberration of behavior."

Wolffe biting back a snarl was a sound he knew full well, and Plo rested his hand on the man's forearm. Rex, who had not taken a seat but leaned one hip on the table next to Wolffe, had his hand on his other shoulder. 

Skywalker nodded his agreement with that, though there was something viciously hard in the line of his jaw. "They have, from what Yularen's managed to get out of the comm net from your Admiral even though he's not actively talking to any of us. He's not talking to Tarkin and Ozzel either, though, so... at least there's that much." He shook his head, apparently at himself, in the next moment. "Sorry, wrong end of things. 

"Okay. So... to boil it down to brutal truths in quick order, the 'Darth Sidious' we've been searching for this whole war, Dooku's mysterious and untraceable Master, was none other than our own Chancellor." 

Wolffe giving full voice to the snarl Plo felt in his own heart was satisfying. Plo had to force his breathing to remain within the pace of the mask's capabilities, noting in an idle part of his mind that it was handling better than his last one.

If the Chancellor was the Sith, then… every single death was even more heinous than it already had been. All of his brave men, all of the friends he had lost, the young Knights and Masters he had helped Find, or teach, over the years, all those deaths were nothing more than moves made in a sinister and sickening game.

He had felt dark despair and rage when he recovered Wolffe from Ventress; that was nothing compared to now, and he was thankful that his mental state was helping to belay the static charge that had become common with his anger.

"I see," he finally managed to say.

Skywalker had paused, thankfully, and now looked at him with the bright blue of his eyes gone almost black with grief and pain and anger. He nodded slowly, once. "Yeah. That... about covers it. Everything on Coruscant, as far as we can tell, was designed to..." He paused, raking a hand through his hair for a moment. "This is going to sound arrogant as hell, but it was aimed at the Order through me. If it'd gone to Sidious' plan, it would've killed Obi-Wan, maneuvered me to where I'd give in to thirteen years of Sith conditioning -- and my own emotions -- and kill Dooku in the grip of the Dark Side, and then used a set of twisted visions and the Order's history with me to convince me that to save what I love, I had nowhere to turn but him. 

"Unfortunately for him, he miscalculated _drastically_. **Nobody** hurts my men." 

Plo saw Ahsoka shift and reach out to touch Anakin carefully, a good reminder of her presence as the young man wrestled with that recapitulation of the plan. He weighed it, recalled the argument over Palpatine being allowed so much time with a non-traditional Jedi padawan, and slowly forced himself to incline his head fully to Anakin rather than reach out mentally.

"My young friend, it seems we erred as severely with you as we did with Ahsoka. There are no words to convey how deeply I regret the misguided actions I took part in."

Skywalker actually smiled at him, slow and a little careful, but he thought that was one of the young man's real smiles. "Thank you, Master Plo. I -- there's a lot I still have to work through, but having my head clear of compulsions is helping with some it. I'm not sure he wasn't messing with all of you, too, actually. Anyway. That for later. 

"After Obi-Wan was sent to Utapau and there was nobody on Coruscant I'd truly trust.... he actually confessed that he was Sidious to me -- which sent me running back to the Temple rather than taking his head off then and there." One of Skywalker's brows arched at him, the sardonic expression entirely comprehensible. 

"Baiting the trap for the Order," Wolffe said, even as Plo accepted that judgment passed on his peers.

"Especially as, if I recall correctly, Master Windu was present," Plo said, shrewdly acknowledging the source of much of Skywalker's trouble through the years. That Windu had never been able to see himself… or had and failed to have compassion… in Skywalker had bothered Plo for years.

"Exactly, vod," Rex said to Wolffe's summation. "Kriffed my general's head pretty solid in the lead-up to it, too."

Skywalker nodded, corner of his mouth quirking up at his Commander's words. "Yeah... and how. I reported the situation to Master Windu, and he decided that there was no way he was going to let me go along to help and left me alone in the Council Chamber. I could feel the fight, the deaths, and I went back. 

"....Master Windu may be alive, somewhere in the lower levels, I don't know. I'm proof you can survive losing a limb, and we've all had bad falls." He shrugged slightly, "but the other Masters were dead. I -- a lot of how I wound up in front of my men telling them that the High Council had attempted to assassinate the Chancellor and that the Order had been declared traitors is... blurry, now. 

"But I felt them change, felt that declaration warp them, make them not-mine anymore, and even wallowing in the Dark, I wasn't **about** to stand for that. So I ordered them all back onto the _Resolute_ instead of... what he wanted... and it didn't take Yularen's medics long to find the source." 

That Skywalker was strong enough to admit his descent was what Plo focused on, as his mind tried again to rub at the empty, aching places. Wolffe moving so his entire leg was touching his own was welcome, pulling him away from it as well.

Then he could truly focus on the important part of the statement. "There is a physical source, then Something that can be combated, obviously, as you have all of your men safe from it now."

Skywalker nodded, and beside them, Rex moved to stand behind Wolffe and wrap both arms around his son, the touch a light one. "Yularen believed me, and set his medics on the men. It wasn't hard to find, apparently. There was a biotech chip implanted in their brains when they were very young. Some of the flash-training has to have been tied to it, to make them immediately obey a set of contingency orders implanted in the _karking_ thing, but it worked on their very nerves, too. 

"We had to do surgery on everybody that was with me, but by the time we got to the 212th on Utapau, and Ahsoka's 332nd down below, I'd figured out a way to use the frequency the chips receive on to neutralize the things. We're still removing them -- the men want them _out_ , not just off -- but we can shut them down just as soon as we're in range of a legion." 

"Thank the Force, Anakin, for your brilliance and will," Plo praised freely. "Our men will survive this, and we will help them past the trauma it inflicted." 

He appreciated that Rex was providing the comfort Wolffe needed, approved of Ahsoka still keeping contact with her -- no, not her master. With Anakin, then, and he forged on. "Sidious?"

Skywalker had ducked his head, looking across and up at him, momentarily shy from the praise, and Plo was suddenly, powerfully reminded of the small boy Skywalker had not been in several years. The mention of Sidious wiped the expression away, and the dangerous warrior they had so depended on through this war was returned. 

"He didn't realize, at first, that I wasn't doing what he meant me to. By the time he did realize, I knew some of what'd been done... and he tried to Compel me to do what he wanted." For a moment, those blue eyes gleamed with a more dangerous light yet, before Ahsoka pushed against his side and he slid one arm around her, visibly calming himself. 

"I threw him out of my head, grabbed for you, but you... you were in too much pain, passing out. You must've been one of the first ones targeted. I managed to catch hold of your niece and warned her that the Temple was about to be attacked. She said she'd get the younglings out, and after that I had to resort to comms, trying to get in front of him activating the chips. I talked to Aayla -- somehow, Bly had fought it enough just to stun her point-blank -- and got to Stass and Luminara and Master Billaba, others... not as many as I wish. 

"We fled for Mustafar, to take the Separatist leadership into custody... while my Master and Master Yoda apparently waltzed onto Coruscant and baited Sidious into attacking them in front of the _entire_ Senate. Well, actually he attacked Riyo and Senator Organa first, but," he shrugged his shoulders, careless of that detail. "Knowing a little more about his capabilities, they actually won, and both survived." 

"Waltzed… well, knowing those two, I can see it," Plo said evenly, rather relieved to know justice had been dealt already. "They both have a flair for theatrics, and would know best how to bring it all into the open."

Skywalker rolled his eyes, but there was an affectionate smile lurking at the corner of his mouth. For Obi-Wan alone, of course, as Plo was well aware of the eternal troubles between Skywalker and their Grandmaster. "You're not wrong about that," he agreed. "Apparently, their killing him knocked me unconscious for a while -- long enough for my Master to get to me and drag me back to the land of the living again... and for Ahsoka to get to us from here, with Rex. _Vod_ , you want to pitch in, here?" 

"Which one of us, sir?" Rex asked, which made Ahsoka smile and laugh a little. "Assuming you mean me and not the vod'ika General at your side," he continued at Anakin's exasperated look, "I can tell you that I am kriffing glad that order reached so few units before their Jedi were warned they were at risk." 

Plo, who had enjoyed seeing the Vod'e An spirit in those words, meant to make them all relax back, even Wolffe, paid attention to Rex closely.

"I'd taken the one warning we had, in my vod, Fives, and taken matters into my own hands on my leave after the previous mission." He shifted back to his chair, shoulders squaring, jaw firmed. "I thought I'd have time, and as much as I trust all of my officer staff, Ahsoka had been away from us for long enough that I did not feel it would serve anyone for me to return to Coruscant. Everyone knows I'm no major asset in a space battle, and I do best in land campaigns, like Ahsoka.

"I was going to present everything to both General Kenobi and my _jetiise_ when we were reunited." Rex's eyes were very dark, and Plo could sense the guilt and anger without his extra perceptions. "Only, just after we'd chased Maul into my General's trap, the order went live. Her lightsabers must have been enough, and we had so many newer troops."

Skywalker shifted his weight, nearly reaching for his Commander, but they were a little too far apart, and he was obviously torn between that concern and watching Plo himself, a world of warnings in his eyes without -- again -- any need for other senses. Ahsoka, beside him, was just as tense, her ever-bright blue eyes narrowed dangerously as she watched him. 

Plo could feel the tension even as impaired as his senses were. He pressed his knee against Wolffe's firmly, and his first son moved to actually drag Rex back, locking an arm around the man's shoulders.

"You did right, even if the Sith took advantage of it, Commander Rex. You protected a vulnerable, if promising Force user, and your inexperienced troops," Plo praised him. "On a very personal level, I am thankful events were as they happened, with you there to protect one who is a child of my heart.

"I am exceedingly grateful you kept yourself alive in the process," he continued. "And I ask that you let go of the guilt you harbor, when that response belongs so much more heavily on my shoulders, and that of the other consulars who aided that man over his years in office. If, in fact, guilt should be had at all, when it is obvious to me that we were all caught up in a masterful trap that had been plotted out over the centuries the Sith remained hidden."

"You listen to my _buir_ ," Wolffe said in a quieter voice, though still gruff. "You did more than could have been expected; not your fault the Sith was probably already tipped because of your man's actions that his plans might be coming undone."

Rex sagged against Wolffe's side, arm wrapping around him, and the vigilant, protective tension in Skywalker and Ahsoka -- which had been slowly decreasing as he spoke -- finished dissipating and was replaced with relief and satisfaction. Rex's voice was low, rough, and ravaged as he said, "I -- I hear you, Sir. Wolffe. It's just... I don't --" 

Skywalker shifted, and Plo could see in his face how much he wanted to act, to interpose himself between Rex and that pain, and see too the helplessness of knowing he couldn't. He seemed to feel his gaze, looked to him, and mouthed 'Thank you'. 

"We move on, young one," Plo said in a gentle fashion. "We go pick up the pieces, and we search for all the ways we were exploited, Vod'e and Jedi alike, so that we can safeguard our future generations, as well as the Republic itself." He turned his gaze to the pair of Force users as Wolffe wrestled Rex into a more comfortable but firmly protected position. "Ahsoka, you left the Order, and I do understand we had given you no reason to trust us.

"Will you come back now, to fix the ways we failed you and your master? I have a feeling he will need your support, and the Order needs both of you to challenge its dogmatic nature. That has been sorely lacking since we lost the last of my youngling clan."

Ahsoka watched him for several moments, her lekku shifting only very slightly, before she said slowly, "I'm staying with Anakin and our men no matter what anyone thinks or says. The Admiral has a place for me, if everything else fails... but if you're asking me to come back so I can help fix what's so terribly broken in the Order: yes. I'll help with that. 

"And... I love you, too. I don't understand what happened and we're not okay yet -- but I love you too." 

Skywalker wrapped his arm around her, pride and relief shining in his face, and for once said nothing. 

"I am not certain I fully understand, and if Mace perished, we may never know. I was told, Ahsoka, that we would use the trial to pull the Republic away from their growing anti-Jedi sentiment, and force the Senate to intercede on our behalf, instead of biting away at our autonomy," Plo said. "Given that you have always been engaging to others, how young you were, how obviously circumstantial it was…. the public was expected to recoil and hound the Senate and Fleet for your freedom.

"Now, though, I suspect the anti-Jedi sentiment had been reinforced too adroitly for that tactic to work. I did wish to warn you, but was admonished that the stronger your reactions to the danger you were in, the more likely the plan would work." He shook his head. "Instead, it cost us all the trust of one of our most promising young ones… and left several of us with a sick certainty that we had lost all concept of fairness."

Ahsoka stared at him, her eyes widening so much that they reminded him of when she'd been just a youngling, her lekku trembling -- and then Skywalker had swept her into his arms and into his chair, holding her across his body as her arms snaked around his neck and she clung to him, her back turned to him. Over her montrals, with his arms wrapped tightly around her body, Skywalker's blue eyes blazed with fury for a moment before he shook his head and instead dropped them to her, as though there was nothing in the galaxy _but_ her. "Got you, Snips," he whispered, barely audible, "got you." 

The rest of what he was saying was lost in Commander Rex's dark, "I'd agree with that last." 

"I am, and have been, ashamed of my actions in all of that. Too often, the Council chose the path of deceit. Of using the very tools we condemned in the Sith. I understand my friend Neaed so much more," Plo said, his voice shaking just a little. He was going to have to tell that friend of Kit's fate, which made his mind and heart both hurt. 

Was Areen still alive? She would have known. Kit had been her dearest student, and they had remained friends after training.

He forced himself away from grief, promising himself more meditation later. "I stand ready to serve, Skywalker, as best I can while I am temporarily disabled in those abilities I normally bring to the table. Merely tell me where you need me, once Wolffe and I rescue our men from the chips."

"See? I'm standing by my theory of Sithly interference even more," Skywalker said, mostly to Ashoka, before looking at him again. "You're great any time you're at least five parsecs from Coruscant. As far as what we do after we've got your Legion safe... Artoo's got a list of where he's sent Jedi astromechs with survivors. We're going to need _them_ to help their units recover, but they'll trust you and Obi-Wan more than me.

"...the worst is going to be the men that are on ships whose COs went over to Tarkin, if we have surviving Jedi for any of them or not." 

"Those men will be cared for by the units that have survived intact… and be encouraged to look after the young ones my niece would have seen to," Plo said, to soothe that concern. "Tarkin… so much like his father," he added, with a note of heated disgust and anger. 

Ahsoka peeked out from cuddling her master and Plo met her gaze evenly. "You don't like him, for more than just me?"

"Hmm. Had I known he was to be involved in the trial ahead of time, I likely would have overturned Mace's decision regardless. His father was a war profiteer, looking to bring the Republic's military back into a stronger position. Having to accept the man being exonerated as part of salvaging the Republic during a previous conflict is why I stepped aside from Valorum." Plo slowly stood, but gave Wolffe a quick hand-sign to remain where he was. "Anakin? 

"Thank you. What you have been through is a tragedy in itself, and yet you have saved us, giving us a chance to fix it."

Skywalker dropped his eyes and ducked his head down against Ahsoka's montrals, his arm tightening around her, before he looked back up. "...I'm glad I got brought back to my senses in time to, Master. And... thank you. For meaning that." 

Plo nodded. " _Ad_ , remain with your vod. I am going to go see what I can do to improve my breathing facility on our ship while you take time to reset and escape your concerns a bit."

"But…"

"Wolffe."

He didn't often put the full authority in his voice, but the two vod'e needed each other, and he… he needed time to fully deal with what was hurting him inside, so that he could truly heal his men when he reached them.

+++

Aayla had successfully shadowed her men the entire time they dug in on Felucia, staying off their senses, away from their awareness, but close, in case of need.

Bly, she suspected, was aware of her, given how frequently he scanned the perimeter, but that could not be helped. He was her commander, and that had led to some serious entanglements in various units. 

However, the sound of further Larties coming in had her flattening into her latest observation point, wondering what fresh grief was about to visited upon her men in their strange mindsets. She made out the distinctive nose art, proclaiming these ships as being out of the 104th and the 127th. The 104th ships all had some variation of 'Plo's Bros', while the 127th used various grisly demises for Grievous on theirs. 

Her heart clenched; there was no way in all of life's harshness that Plo could have survived. He was always in the middle of his men, too close to them, and even if the core of his Pack had tried to protect him, a double unit was too much to evade. She watched as the central ship opened and … her viewer gave her a better sight of Wolffe and Sinker stepping off, both going in opposite directions and clicking some device in their hand.

Every single piece of armor, every ship, every tank suddenly emitted a noise that she could just make out, and she watched all of her men stagger or fall to the ground. Panic for her men seared through her, and she only barely stayed still, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. What was going on, what had just **happened** \-- of all the men, Wolffe and his brothers were the last she would have thought would ever bring any harm to them! And she could not risk going to their defense, it would be her death. She closed her eyes, biting into her lip, and wished for comm gear or _anything_ to let her get some idea of what was going on! She couldn't stand to leave them closed, though.

After that, the other Larties cracked open, men spilling out and quickly going to the sides of her men… while Plo Koon walked boldly out of the one Wolffe had come from and headed for where the command had been set up, per standard camp layout.

What? 

For several moments, shock held her still, and then she sank into herself and reached out -- even as she started to work her way down through the cover. ~Master?~ she asked, across that old, deep bond between them, pleading and uncertain as she knew she should not be, but could not help. He had seen her at her weakest, had built her back into a healthy, strong being; he would not judge her, surely.

There was… pain as the bond came back with a reassurance, a light invitation to join him. His head did turn in her direction, but the communication was severely limited to emotion and concepts. Wolffe was reaching out, resting a hand on the man almost in the same instant before she lost sight of them in trying to get out of cover.

She washed agreement back along the connection and let it go -- if he was in pain, she would not hold on to him -- and kept moving until she'd reached the outskirts of the camp. Men of the 127th came alert as they saw her, down on knees beside her own.... and their _relief_ sang bright along her abraded nerves. "General, _sir_ ," the closest lieutenant said, joy in his voice, "forgive us for not getting up?"

"As you were," she said, projecting it out ahead of her as she kept heading for the command tent, making her voice be confident instead of as utterly bewildered as she felt.

"Yes sir!" The trooper went back to tending her man, reassuring him softly, as the pain was passing and comprehension filtered back in.

She could feel them again! The confusion was so strong, yet they were hers, with all of their idiosyncratic traits that marked them as individuals.

Plo did wait at the tent for her to catch up, but she saw Wolffe had already disappeared within, or so she assumed.

"Koh-to-yah, Aayla," Plo rumbled. "I will not stop you from reaching your commander."

They were hers again, they were _hers_ again, she could feel them! She could feel -- him. Bly. He was there, he was real, he -- 

"Koh-to-yah, Master," she answered, but she did not slow, not when she could feel Bly's confusion and pain and fright. "Good," she added as she pushed the entrance open, ducked in, and crossed the space to her Commander's side in bare moments. Her confusion, her desire for answers, could wait -- everything could wait -- when Bly was here again. 

Wolffe moved back and away on her entry, respecting her domain in Bly's life. He did wait… until Bly sat up and reached for his General, at which point the senior officer withdrew from the tent.

"Aayla… Storms, but I am… I … " His voice trailed off as words seemed so inadequate.

She shook her head firmly, dropping to her knees, one behind him and one along his side to drag him into her arms, her hands finding holds on his armor. "No," she told him, "no, Bly, don't... I know you saved me. I don't know what happened, or how they brought you back to me. But you _are_." 

"Wolffe… saying it wasn't us, a Sith trap." Bly shifted in her hold, getting his arms around her, glad his bucket was off, pressing his forehead into her throat, feeling her lekku brush against the top of his head as he managed to twist just right to let her hold him that way. "My General," he breathed, fighting back the images of her lying prone beneath his blaster shot, ones where it hadn't been a stun shot.

"Yours," she agreed, meaning it with everything in her that wasn't still numb from her bond to Kit snapping, "yours, my Bly. And of **course** it was not you." 

She could half-see what he was thinking, the images flashing through his mind, and she pressed her lips against his temple. "Shh... shh. You did not. You did not harm me, Bly, you saved me. Shh..."

"I'm never going to not see that in my mind, Aayla. I'm going to hear that voice, and feel my body responding," he murmured, keeping the close contact of his skin on her throat. "But it's going to make us stronger. Because I will never, ever leave your side with that haunting me."

She held him tighter, shaking her head just a little, wishing that she could make that untrue, that she could soothe that away from him -- he did not need, should not _have_ , that kind of pain. "Oh... my own. I do not wish you to leave my side... but that is a poor reason to stay." 

She kept holding on to him, unwilling to stir away from his side, to even contemplate releasing her grip, breathing him in again. She wasn't K -- 

Grief slammed into her like that stun bolt, and her grip tightened without her intent. 

That pulled his head up, and he drew in his own ragged breath. "I am yours, heart and mind and body, Aayla. Keeping you safe will help. But, what is it? What is hurting you? What made you buckle when this all began? Is it Vos?"

She shook her head, her eyes betraying her by filling with tears, and she clung to him. "No... not Quin. It -- it's _Kit_ , Bly, our Kit, he's gone..." 

Shock and pain lashed through his entire body and face, as well as a strong dose of denial, before he dragged her into his own lap, pulling them to where he could get his back to the partition of the tent. 

"Oh, Aayla," he whispered, holding on tighter when the tears actually slid down her face… joined by his own.

She had to find out what Master Plo knew, how they'd gotten the men back -- but right now, having to tell Bly, feel his pain, all she could do was mourn with him. 

+++

Padmé turned off the comm array that had been set up for her and secured by the best of Anakin's and Yularen's counter-intelligence people. She moved to join the others in the main part of the cabin that had been converted fully to help her stay abreast of Senatorial doings while raising the babies. She sometimes felt guilty for that they had taken over Ahsoka's part of the suite, but she had insisted on moving down to troop country in the ship, and took privacy, as she needed it, in her liberated Mandalorian ship.

Few evenings passed without Rex, Ahsoka, and sometimes Yularen himself joining the Jedi and Senator to touch base on events they were staying abreast of.

"Word from Obi-Wan today," Anakin said after kissing his wife and passing over Luke for her to hold. Leia was currently napping on Rex's chest, and the commander looked only vaguely awake, as if he had followed the infant's lead. "They have managed to track Tarkin's fleet back, and it is down to just three capital ships after the last set of surrenders."

"Good," she told him, looking pleased. "Bail said they have gotten closer to stripping the last of the draconic laws off the books, to prevent any single man from holding that much power again."

Anakin shrugged at that; he still wasn't convinced on democracy.

"Reports from Plo stated that Tarkin's fleet hold the only non-accounted for vod'e," Ahsoka said softly. "The survival rate among the Jedi is solidly at eighty-nine percent, so you saved most of the ones in the field, Anakin."

"With the Jedi and _jetiise_ alike refusing to return to Coruscant, or leave their men, what comes next for you lot?" Rex asked in a low, deeper rumble than usual, having learned to use that pitch when either twin was sleeping on him. 

"I don't know, Rex. We've got a lot to figure out too, like the Senate, like the Separatist systems trying to figure out what to do now that the war is nearly over," Anakin said. "But I know we'll be right at the center of it all."

"Aren't we always?" Padmé asked, before looking at her son. Somehow, she felt a deep hope that he and his sister would be inheriting a better galaxy to live in.


End file.
